


An Open Invitation

by SpectralFury



Series: The Letter V Two Times [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars: Darth Vader (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti-Villain Protagonists, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark is not Evil, Darth Snips, F/F, Force-Sensitive Leia Organa, Fusion of Star Wars Legends and Disney Canon, Gen, Heresies, Imperial Fulcrum, Impulse Adoption, Not Beta Read, Not a Redeption Fic, Okay She's Crazy Now, Original Imperial Character(s) - Freeform, Original Inquisitor Character(s) - Freeform, Original Jedi Character(s) - Freeform, Personal Code of Ethics, Realizing You've Gone Off the Deep End, Revenge Plot, Sheevery Intensifies, Sith Ahsoka Tano, Sith Training, Slaughter of Innocents, The Dark Side of the Force, The Light Side of the Force, Then Going Deeper, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2020-08-19 07:43:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 117,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20206183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpectralFury/pseuds/SpectralFury
Summary: “Believe me when I tell you- this galaxy is built on lies. Finding even one true thing...nothing is more difficult.” -Darth SidiousOne year after her quiet fall, Darth Venatrix has officially done little other than live among her brethren on Shili and study Sith texts. Meanwhile, Darth Vader has been given to Moff Wilhuff Tarkin as a weapon with which to pacify the Western Reaches. Both of these punishments and lessons are nearly over, and Darth Sidious is ready to participate in the game his apprentices wish to play.





	1. Obligations

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back! It's been a short while. Before we begin I would like to detail the schedule I have for this work, which is to say...there isn't one. I will be working on this when I have the time, but releases will come when I complete arcs, not simple chapters. While I understand when people suddenly lose inspiration, I detest it when there's a sudden stop in the middle of a fanfic.
> 
> This arc, for example, primarily details the initial training Ahsoka receives, and the opening steps she and Anakin take in their plan to eventually get rid of Palpatine.
> 
> That being said, I hope you enjoy it!

**Act 1: Setting the Board**

**Shili: 983 Ruusan (17 BBY)**

Kabaa Ber wiped the sweat off his brow after loading the final sack of flour into the cart. His arms, legs, and feet were tired and sore, a common enough result after a day’s work at the mill. It had been the first harvest he had been assigned to the grindstone, and it wouldn’t be the last. As per custom in the village, every able bodied member had to have a basic understanding of how to perform each common task. Everyone had their specializations of course, but in the event of sickness or akul attack, villagers may be killed or bedridden for some time.

A skilled trade such as a weaponsmith only goes as far as making a bow or spear when the smith themselves are the only healthy person. Without the ability to hunt, the skill is useless. Everyone must be able to pull their own weight when required. Those who were simply a drain on resources were left behind. It was the Togruta way.

Kabaa took only a few minutes to rest. The sun would be setting soon, and he needed to get the flour to the storehouse before nightfall.

His callused feet hit the packed dirt of the path as he pulled the sack filled hand cart to the storehouse. Everywhere around him his brethren executed their assigned tasks, the vast majority related to the harvest. Other carts were passed by, some on the same route he was, while others rolled to a different destination or awaited their loads. The sounds of exertion and labor echoed through Kabaa’s montrals as he continued on, his eyes witnessing the tasks others did around him as he walked.

The buildings were simple. Wood frames and walls held up thatched roofs. Brick and stone was used only for the most important buildings such as the storehouses and the communal areas. Those that held the secret to quarrying stone were all lost three years ago to slavers as they worked at their site, and there had been too little available labor to assign others to relearn the skill.

While they did not eschew technology completely, the people of the village enjoyed their simple lives. They had no name for their village among themselves, though to outsiders they named it Hiticha for the common species of tree that grew in the valley it resided in.

Kabaa finally made it inside the storehouse, and immediately set about unloading his shipment of flour onto a predesignated spot. While Togruta were primarily carnivores, grains, fruits, and vegetables rounded out a large part of their diet. It was possible to survive solely on meat, but overhunting was a constant threat.

As he reached the halfway point of his delivery, his eye caught her.

Ashla, the orange skinned outsider who arrived a year ago.

Except she was no longer an outsider. She had come to them with a simple request, to learn the ways of her people as only the villagers knew. While some of the elders knew of far away lands that were very different than the world that the common folk knew, what she described seemed impossible to nearly all.

She claimed to have been raised in a land of metal. Whether ground, home, or mount, there was just cold and hard purified rock. When asked how anyone would survive in such a barren place, she claimed that there were lands dedicated entirely to agriculture and animal husbandry. The people of the metal world traded their crafts and skills for food and simpler goods. A level of trade that went over all their heads in regards to scope. To them it would take hundreds or thousands of hand carts per day to feed a land as large as the place called Coruscant.

When asked what Ashla’s job was, what she told them was even more unbelievable. She called herself “Jedi,” some manner of witch or wizard that used their strange magic for the defense of others. Her magic wasn’t just a tale either. When asked to demonstrate, she revealed her power, lifting several Togruta from their seats and moving them around with just waves of her hands.

She offered her services in protecting the village, and many times over the last year she has defended them from threats natural and otherwise. She lived in a strange vehicle of metal and fire, something she called a ship, but rather than allow her to travel over water, she sailed through the stars. She often left, but only for short periods. Her own people needed her help, but she always returned.

And then there were her weapons. Curved pieces of metal she called lightsabers. Kabaa had seen them only once. An akul attacked the village, and she had thankfully been there to stop it. Ashla had used her power to immobilize the normally unstoppable beast, and it was then that he and all of the village had seen the glowing, starlight blades that sprang forth. She mercilessly executed the beast, and the village ate well that week.

Kabaa was...admittedly...infatuated with her.

Ashla barely knew he existed, but he knew her. He snuck glances at her whenever he could, and every time she seemed to know when he was doing so. She never called him out on it though. She was always kind, patient, and ever ready to help. From time to time she lost her temper, but only when someone was incredibly foolish or irritating. Everyone had their breaking point, after all.

When he caught her gaze today, he immediately knew something was wrong. She wore the same smile she always did, but her eyes…

They were hollow, as if the person inside was dead.

No, not dead. Dying. Something had happened that was killing her.

Kabaa opened his mouth to speak his concerns, but someone called him first for help. Being the only one he could see that was otherwise done with his task, he walked over to assist.

By the time he was finished, merely a few seconds, Ashla was gone.

He didn’t see her again until later, when all the villagers had retired from work, and celebrated another successful harvest in the town center. A roaring fire spilled soot and heat into the air, and man, woman, and child alike sat down at tables in feast or stood in dance. Music filled the air, along with joy and the promise of a good year in the near future.

Ashla felt none of these things. Her lips laid slack on her face as her cheeks shone wet with tears. She stared unblinkingly at the celebration, the flames dancing in her dying eyes. No one bothered her to see why she was so sad, and it pained him to see such neglect for one of their own. He didn’t know why this was, but then again he knew that something strange was going on. Something that only he seemed to sense.

As always, Ashla sensed his gaze on her, and she turned her head to look right at him.

Kabaa blinked, and then blinked again. At first he thought it was just the fire dancing in her eyes, but the closer he looked, he was sure.

Her eyes  _ were _ fire.

An unknown terror filled him as she gave him a pitying look. Something buried deep within his spirit whispered quietly in his head...

_ That is a demon, and she is about to kill you all. _

The warning for his fellows caught in his throat. Or rather, his throat tightened. He couldn’t breathe. He tried to grab at his neck to pull the offending hands away, but only found air. His lungs burned for breath, and he looked back at the demon in confusion, a desperate question on his face. There was only an apologetic smile on her lips as he looked at her clenched hand. Soon, darkness overtook him.

The only thing he heard was the crackle of the fire.

His eyes flung back open, his body jerking as adrenaline flooded his bloodstream. Ashla- the  _ demon _ , she was going to kill everyone! He hopped to his feet, crying out for everyone to pay attention to him, but he was silenced once more, this time by his own horror.

He was too late. Bodies were everywhere. People, his friends, his  _ family _ , all laid motionless on the ground, pools of blood surrounding them all. He kneeled down, recognizing one nearby as his neighbor, he tentatively reached out to try and wake the still woman, but his touch was useless on the cooling corpse. For a moment he denied that it was their sworn protector, that it must have been an akul or some other manner of monster. She was just a single woman! Even with her magic, she couldn’t have bested an entire village!

Then he remembered. She slaughtered an akul as if it were the simplest thing. An akul, the beast of which was feared across Shili for its single handed destructive capability. Whole villages fell from just one of the creatures, and it posed no threat to Ashla at all.

The village didn’t even have a chance.

The light from the fire dimmed, and he turned to find the demon sitting on a log in front of it, the light shone by the flame making her silhouette appear pitch black. The only thing he saw were a pair of glowing, fiery golden eyes staring at him unblinkingly.

Kabaa shuddered for a moment before a well of anger sprang forth, screaming a demand as to why the demon had done this. The village had done nothing to harm her. They invited her in, showed her the ways of her people, treated her as family, and their repayment? Death? Not even a fight but a slaughter?

The demon said nothing, instead only looking at him apologetically for a moment before standing up, one of her cursed starlight blades coming to life. Kabaa moved to run. He had to warn the other villages of this demon! As soon as he turned however, he felt himself freeze. His arms and legs couldn’t move, no matter how hard he pulled at the invisible restraints binding him. The sound of the starlight blade grew closer and closer, and right as she was behind him, he grabbed ahold of his well of anger and willed the ancestors to strike down this demon.

The demon hesitated, surprised at this action, and Kabaa heard the barest hint of a laugh on the edge of her breath. It only enraged Kabaa further, but before he could invoke the spirits again he felt pain in his back, and then in his chest as the blade burned through his heart.

The chains around him vanished, and he collapsed to the ground, consciousness fading as blood pooled beneath him. The demon came around, the fire in her eyes cooling back to blue water. She looked as he remembered her before the massacre. The woman he fancied but dared not speak to. Her eyes were still stained wet with tears, and for a moment he wondered if she was possessed by some manner of evil spirit to commit such an atrocity, but the small voice that had warned him of her treachery before spoke again, and just as quietly it whispered...

_ Predator, predator, predator. _

She was a predator, hiding where she could not be seen. However instead of the grass being her camouflage, it was a kind face and good natured spirit. As darkness overtook him, Kabaa felt a profound sense of sorrow for the worlds and worlds that sailed through the stars.

The demon huffed and stood up, returning her blade to the kama that protected her thigh, and walked to her ship. She quickly set the machine to lift off and return to the grassless world of metal spires before letting out a deep sigh.

She pressed a number of buttons on a machine, and knelt down before the blue specter of a shadow, reporting that her task was complete, proof taken by the cameras on the outside of the ship. The shadow was pleased by this, and ordered her to return home before disappearing.

Having already set sail for home, she staggered, her strength having fled from her. Her wobbly steps took her to the refresher, which she collapsed in front of and promptly emptied her stomach into.

===

**Ichtor 8**

The sounds of blaster fire, explosions, screams, and shouts were just on the edge of Anakin Skywalker’s perception. With his mind immersed in the dark side of the Force so deeply, he didn’t require such crude senses to know what was happening around him. Even someone nearly blind and deaf could figure it out.

War, brutal and uncompromising.

A year ago, a chance interest in one of his Inquisitor’s missions led to a reunification with his old Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. It was through her presence that he realized that Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker were one and the same. They spoke, both had several revelations, and in her epiphany she embraced the dark side of the Force and rejoined him as her Sith Apprentice.

That lasted all of three weeks, as he had to screw it up by mentioning her existence to his Master, Darth Sidious. They had hoped to simply pass her off as a Dark Jedi under his command, but Ahsoka had taken to his initial teachings too well, and the Emperor had sniffed out her true nature as soon as she entered the throne room. Perhaps even when she landed on the planet.

The Emperor stole her from him, abolishing the Rule of Two in favor of some manner of Rule of One. One Dark Lord to rule over a number of lesser Sith. Skywalker knew better though. Sidious wanted Ahsoka all for himself. Anakin survived his early betrayal supposedly because he had hand delivered such a  _ promising student _ to his master. He had survived because he was useful to the old man, and nothing more. 

His first punishment was outright humiliation, his master having made it appear Ahsoka defeated Anakin handily in combat and then had her parade him around the Palace in a crippled state. Shortly after that, he separated the two, sending her to Shili for some unknown reason, while he was given to Tarkin to use as a weapon in pacifying the remaining Separatist holdouts.

That is how he found himself on some planet he didn’t care to know the name of, in some city he didn’t know the name of, charging lines of nameless soldiers and battle droids in an effort to destroy them. A normal tactician would never commit to such a suicidal strategy, but Anakin Skywalker was no normal tactician. Such a charge was child’s play for a Sith Lord such as him.

The red bolts of blaster fire converged on him as he rushed forward with an unnatural speed. People think Darth Vader to be a lumbering behemoth, and they would be half right. With the Force, such physical limitations meant nothing. What few plasma bolts that got near him were easily swatted away with the Force, their paths turning away from him as if they didn’t wish to hit their target. The handful that were straight shots were easily deflected by a flick of his lightsaber.

The screams and shouts of the soldiers around him meant nothing. The explosions and debris that bounced off his armor meant nothing. Tarkin’s orders were obeyed only as far as they needed to be. Go here. Destroy that. Assault this location. The words passed through his brain and told his limbs what to do, but his mind was elsewhere.

His apprentice needed him.

The Emperor may have stolen her, but both of them knew where her true loyalties laid.

Something had happened. She was in terrible, terrible pain. She was being forced to do something she didn’t want to do, and what he was feeling from her felt all too familiar.

Forced betrayal. The Emperor had ordered her to kill someone or  _ someones _ she cared for greatly. The Force didn’t warn him of any threat, near or far, so her target either wasn’t him, or it was and she was coming to warn him.

The Emperor told him of this before. The Sacrifice. An action that showed a potential apprentice’s commitment to becoming Sith. There were no half measures in the dark side, and taking the life of a friend or innocent showed both the master and apprentice how far they were willing to go to achieve power.

Anakin’s was his role in the death of Jedi Master Mace Windu. Skywalker hadn’t thought far enough ahead to determine Ahsoka’s, and in fact considered abandoning the trial as his right as her master. Everyone she loved was already dead, save him, and he wasn’t about to drive her into hating him enough to jeopardize their partnership. Perhaps Kenobi. She could aid him in his old master’s destruction, but he very much wanted to savor the kill for himself.

He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

“...y lord?” He felt someone touch him on the arm. Immediately it shot out, the mundane world returning to him. He had lifted a stormtrooper into the air, the soldier struggling as he telekinetically throttled the man. Immediately he dropped the soldier, not exactly  _ ashamed _ of his actions, but he doubted whatever the trooper was trying to do warranted execution.

“What is it, trooper?” Skywalker asked. He looked left and right, finding other soldiers surrounding him, but at ease. All around him were bodies of the Separatists, fire, and destroyed droids. It appeared he had succeeded in his task, and in his thoughts was unable to realize it.

As his previous victim recovered from the strangulation, another stepped up.

“Moff Tarkin informed us you weren’t responding, my lord,” the trooper said. “We were sent to ensure you weren’t in distress.”

“You may inform the Moff that his concern is noted, but unnecessary,” Skywalker said. He scoffed, but it was a quiet thing that only Ahsoka could recognize.

“Very good, my lord,” the trooper said. After a nod from Anakin, they all left to return to their assigned duties.

His comm was beeping. Tarkin was waiting for his report. He growled in frustration at being handed off to the man. Tarkin relied far too much on overwhelming force when tact was sometimes necessary. Case in point, Anakin had been sent to assault every single bunker and stronghold ever since he arrived months ago. While it wasn’t a challenge for him in the slightest, he disliked being used as such a blunt instrument.

With the flick of an interior switch on his mask, he reluctantly opened the channel.

“What is it, Tarkin?”

An expectant clear of the throat filled his head, the helm’s speakers wired directly to his skull. Anakin’s teeth clenched as a rage filled him, but he resisted the urge to strangle the man through the video feed.

“Where do you need me,  _ sir? _ ”

“There is a line of tanks half a kilometer north northeast of you. Take care of it,” Tarkin ordered, and immediately disconnected.

Tarkin was intelligent. Too intelligent. He had either figured out that the Sith was forbidden from killing him regardless of the reason, or the Emperor had told him. Either way, the officer had taken a perverse pleasure in asserting his dominance over the Lord. Of all the officers that would be purged once he and his apprentice seized power, Tarkin would not die.

Death was a mercy, after all. He would live a very long life in the dungeon, and Anakin expected that his apprentice would quite enjoy torturing the man for his crimes against her.

_ Hmm _ .

He wondered if she was forbidden from killing Tarkin. Probably, considering his value to the Emperor. Still, all of the officers had secrets, even the Moff. Perhaps one of them could find or fabricate enough evidence to convince the Emperor of Tarkin’s treachery.

Something to consider later.

As he ran to his next task, he wondered who exactly would lead the Empire. Anakin knew that his weakness was in politics, and she would fare little better. One or both of them would have to learn how to navigate the Imperial court, and since it wasn’t likely they would ascend soon, they had time to learn.

In the meantime, he could only hope that the Emperor didn’t damage her too much, both physically and mentally. Palpatine was a manipulative creature, and it was entirely possible that he would eventually turn her against him. Whether it be through lies or promises of power, everyone was vulnerable to his words.

He needed to be done with these diversions as soon as possible and get back in touch with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that haven't read many of the books, this needless slaughter is called "The Sacrifice." It's a trial for an aspiring Sith to prove to their master that they are sufficiently committed to the cause to learn. Each sacrifice is tailored to the Sith in question. Palpatine's was the slaughter of his family. Maul's was the will to destroy Sidious, since the then-boy was raised by him and was a father figure. Dooku's was killing Sifo-Dyas or his former Padawan Komari Vosa, depending on the source. Anakin's was aiding in Windu's destruction and probably the rest of the Jedi. As far as the Emperor is aware, everyone Ahsoka cares about is dead, or is Vader. He knows that, for the moment, she will not betray Vader no matter what, so he had to engineer something more. Namely, an attachment to her own people and innocent civilians in general.


	2. Favored

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back. I have decided that when I have content to post, I will do so on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

**Ilum**

The young Togruta stood shivering within a piercing wind, flecks of snow hitting her face, montrals, and lekku. All around her there was nothing but snow. Certainly there was rock and perhaps a thin layer of solid topsoil beneath it, but the only things Ahsoka could see off in the distance were a sheer cliff of ice and a strip miner carving rock from the surface. This was no common ice world though.

This was Ilum.

Having ordered her to stand in the powder snow, Sidious circled her slowly, eyeing her as if she were a museum piece. She remained silent, her initial questions responded to with his own lack of words. Out of frustration she ended up demanding to know what they were doing.

She received a dose of Force lightning in response.

She learned quickly after that.

He had been gracious enough to allow her a thin environment suit to prevent herself from getting hypothermia, at least for awhile. She had been standing outside for an hour now. She knew how to keep damaging cold and heat away with the Force, but only enough to keep it from killing her quickly. Unlike her, Sidious seemed to be a master of keeping the cold away, having eschewed such physical protections in favor of entirely keeping the danger away with his power.

“Venatrix,” Sidious said. It had been the first thing he had said after simply ordering her to stand in that location. She almost didn’t hear him, the howling wind of Ilum having completely overshadowed her ability to hear anything else. She finally noticed his expectant look, which quickly melted into an irritated scowl when she didn’t respond immediately.

“Master,” she said weakly. The icy air hurt her lungs to breathe, and the word itself made her feel nauseated to apply it to him. He was her master, but only as long as she and Anakin were still too weak to destroy the man. The moment that changed, she would never say it to him again in submission.

“Lord Vader explained to you how to detach yourself from your emotions, yes? To let them power your abilities without succumbing to the haze of rage?” Sidious asked.

“Yes Master,” she said. “He described a mountain peak, cold and-”

“Yes I know,” he interrupted disinterestedly. “That was the exact same lesson I taught him right after he first displayed his loyalty to me over the Jedi.” He eyed the girl, who didn’t visibly react, using that exact lesson to keep her composure as her anger at Sidious’ destruction of her family rose. “The first key to the power of the Sith, I told him.” A cruel smile showed on the Emperor’s grey and sagging face. “I wasn’t lying. It is the first key, but _ only _ the first.”

“And you’re about to tell me you’re going to not-lie to me,” she said flatly. Or as flatly as she could manage while slowly freezing to death.

The smile faded, Sidious’ face adorning an unreadable mask for a moment. She tensed slightly, unsure if she had just earned another punishment, but didn’t look away from his eyes.

“Insolence,” he said, the grin returning. “How refreshing. Distrusting as well. You are wiser than your age should allow you to be, Venatrix.” She did not react to his praise. She didn’t have the energy. “Enough of that, though. The villagers, what did you do to them?”

Ahsoka winced slightly, though to the average observer it would have been difficult to distinguish a wince of guilt over her trembling due to the cold. The Emperor was naturally not an average observer, and scowled in displeasure, but said nothing.

“I killed them all,” she said.

“Just as I instructed, yes,” he said. “How many?”

She repressed a pained groan as memories of the slaughter surfaced. “I lost count after a hundred and fifty.” Guilt washed over her again, and she wobbled slightly. Within her power was the ability to remove its effect upon her, but she didn’t do so. It wouldn’t have been right. An insult to their memory. She had spent a year with them, befriending them, learning their ways. Until the Emperor ordered her to slaughter the lot of them, giving no reason as to why other than _ you have been seen. _

“And how did you kill them?”

A hand brushed against her lightsabers, the weapons attached to the enviro-suit’s utility belt. “I...cut them down with my lightsabers, mostly.” She forced her voice to remain as steady as possible. “I had to snap the necks of a few. Some of the guards died when I threw them away from me. I-” A flash of dirt mixing with pooling blood came to mind, and her body responded by vomiting all over the snow.

Wiping the bile off her mouth, she looked up at Sidious, expecting some kind of retribution for what was likely some kind of failure, but he didn’t react in the slightest. He had _ expected _ this.

“You slaughtered an entire village on my whim, apprentice,” Sidious said. “Everyone?”

She nodded. “Yes, Master.”

“Every single being, including the old and weak?”

Her arms would have been shaking from anger and guilt, had they not been shivering. “Yes.”

“And the women, and children?” he said in mocking shock. She just glared at him, and in its numbed state her body could not respond fast enough to block the sudden slice of red that cut across her. She yelped, staggering back as a searing pain cut across her midsection. She initially thought that she would find herself falling back in two pieces, but to her mixed feelings she did not. The Sith’s lightsaber had been powered down enough not to disintegrate her flesh, but instead burn it heavily.

“I said I find your insolence refreshing,” the Emperor snarled. “But don’t mistake that for permission to be disobedient, apprentice.” He allowed a pause, and his voice softened to its usual tone. “Now answer the question.”

“Yes!” she blurted out.

“Yes, _ what _?”

“Yes, I killed the women and children too!” She only got a snarl in response, and she sucked in a breath. “Yes, _ Master _, I killed the women and children,” she spat.

“_ Good _,” he purred. “Now tell me again. I am quite interested in hearing every last detail.”

And so she did, telling him of how she betrayed the trust of a village of primitives. How she turned from their protector to their executioner. How she used the Force to keep their suspicions away from her distressed expressions. How she took out the guards first to ensure her own safety and then went on a silent rampage until nothing else moved.

“I see,” Sidious said. “My dear, I believe I am beginning to understand, but I need more. Tell me again, and recall every single memory you can manage. Every feeling.”

She again growled slightly with a glare, but didn’t give him a chance to punish her by immediately beginning her tale again. She didn’t see the point of this exercise. Torture, perhaps. Anakin did tell her the man was a sadistic monster that took delight in the suffering of others. By the time they would be done there she would be suffering from frostbite or worse.

It was the second hour of telling and retelling that Sidious finally said something other than another demand for a repeat.

“Do you know why I brought you here, apprentice?” Sidious asked.

“Because you like watching others suffer?” she snapped.

The master barked a laugh. “That is true, Venatrix. However if I wanted to simply torture you I wouldn’t need to leave the palace do so.” He shot his hands forward, violet light springing forth and grounding itself on her. The apprentice screamed, instantly collapsing to the ground and writhing in pain. What Vader had done to her on the interrogation tables to harden her was barely the preparation needed to face their master’s wrath. The cold, unfeeling torture droid and pain inducing tools were nothing compared to having literal hatred and malice attach itself on one’s body. After what felt like minutes, it finally stopped, and she lied there helplessly.

“Get up, Tano, and answer my question,” he sneered. Slowly, she managed to pry herself out of the snow, her muscles burning from the convulsions. Her stance was weak, but she managed to set her skeleton in a way that only required minimal correction to maintain balance.

She looked out at the barren wasteland that was Ilum. A Jedi holy world, the planet was rich in kyber crystals, ice, and nothing else. Off in the distance she glanced at the mining ship that carved away chunks of the crust, and she grit her teeth at the desecration. Finally, her brain generated an answer.

“Nothing is sacred? Is that what you’re telling me?” she asked.

Sidious looked at her appraisingly, his head nodding ever so slightly. “That is _ a _ lesson, yes. The reason I brought you here is to give you a taste of what it will be like when you finally take note of the dark side’s true presence.”

“I’ve already fallen,” she said. This only elicited a long and amused cackle from the old man.

“You believe the touches you have been timidly allowing the dark side to give you means you know it? Ha! Fool. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you push it away out of fear. You call yourself Sith, but you barely fit the definition. What have you done so far? Learned history, lore, the language, and you’ve slaughtered a village of innocents. No, the reason we are _ here _, apprentice, is so I can prepare you.

“Not how to survive on a wasteland like this, mind you. I know you already have the knowledge. No, it’s here I prepare you to _ actually _ embrace the dark side of the Force. The Jedi teach you that the difference between using the Force as a Jedi and Sith is as simple as light and dark, serenity and hatred.”

He scoffed. “Leave it to the Jedi to let you believe you have been given the answer, when in fact they have taught you _ nothing. _ No, you will learn quickly that the true difference between practicing the Force as a Sith and Jedi has nothing to do with darkness and light. Instead consider it to be something much more simple. Instinctual,” he offered. “Such as say...freezing to death versus enjoying the warmth of a shuttle.”

As if on cue, the shuttle they had arrived in flew overhead towards one of the ice cliffs off in the distance. Sidious turned and began to walk to follow, not a hint of urgency in his step. Ahsoka followed.

“When you finally embrace the dark side, _ truly _ embrace it, you will panic, Apprentice. It will swallow whole. You will think: _ it’s going to kill me! _ ” he said in a faint mockery of her voice. _ “I’m going to die, what have I done?” _ The unamused frown by the girl was not shared by the master. “And it’s true, Venatrix. It _ will _ kill you. That is one of the few things the Jedi were correct about the Sith. But like a phoenix you will rise up from the ashes, pure and unchained.”

“Through victory, my chains are broken?” she asked. The penultimate line of the Sith Code.

“Very good,” he said.

“Did _ you _ panic, Master?” she asked after a moment. Sidious slowly looked at her with a piercing gaze, and it seemed to bounce off the smug smirk she had welded onto her lips. He didn’t humor her with an answer, however.

“Tell me again of the villagers’ demise,” he ordered flatly. “Each individual kill. As many as you can remember.”

And so she did. Again, and again, and again she recounted her merciless slaughter, each time remembering just a bit more, torn out of what she had repressed.

As they reached the base of the cliff, the shuttle standing by, she told him once more of her atrocity- or rather, the task, as she had come to think of it. The terrified faces of her brethren as she advanced upon them. The lifeless stares of those she left behind. The blood curdling screams of everyone as she danced around the crowd in a blur, her speed fast enough to allow her to corral them as if they were a herd of nerfs. Then of course there was the final deed, when everyone else was dead, and she walked into the town hall where the infirm and young had hidden themselves in the confusion. She dealt with the children first, as to spare them any further pain. The elders silently accepted their fates.

Every time she relived the moment, told her master of her actions, she gradually built an immunity to the side effects. The memories and actions were hers, but she was able to examine them dispassionately and without judgement. Disgust and guilt had vanished. She felt detached, as if she had read the details from a report or novel, an uninteresting memory of something that happened perhaps years ago instead of less than a week. The emotions she felt were still real and strong, but refined. As if she sent them through a machine to increase their potency and ability to burn clean. As she finished, something within her shifted. A door had opened within herself, and it felt as if something had crawled inside, feasted upon something of hers, and took residence in the cavity.

Or perhaps it had always been there, and she simply had become aware of it.

“Well done,” Sidious said. “Tell me what just happened.”

She initially said nothing, looking around in thought until her eyes landed on the shuttle. Four guards were stationed at the ramp. Two of the red robed elite, and two common stormtroopers. Curious and suspicious, she raised a hand, calling the Force around the necks of the two insignificants before lifting them up and squeezing. The soldiers struggled, the sounds of their fight coming through the vocoders of their helmets as they clawed at their throats. The royal guards brought out their blaster rifles quickly, training them on the apprentice with lightning speed. A casual wave by the Emperor signaled them to relax, however.

Ahsoka stood there, watching curiously as she squeezed the life out of the two loyal soldiers, and when they finally stopped moving and their tiny flickers of light in the Force winked out, she dropped her hand, the bodies following suit. She looked at them curiously, her eyes travelling to the red robes before finally she turned and looked at her master.

She felt _ nothing _.

Her breath hitched, but she didn’t panic. Instead a smile started to pull at her lips. The hitch turned into a short huff, and then a laugh escaped her. She grabbed at her belly, trying to suppress it, but unable to stop herself she started giggling uncontrollably, and then wincing as it transformed into tearful hysteria. In front of her, Sidious just smiled triumphantly as he watched the girl realize what she had done to herself.

Sidious had said that picking apart one’s emotions was the first key to the power of the Sith, but only the first. The next step, one that he didn’t care to teach to Vader, was how to transform that ability into something beautiful and horrifying. A cognitive disassociation that allowed a person to destroy their ability to feel compassion and guilt while still understanding the consequences of their actions. Vader lost that privilege when he failed on Mustafar, but his constant pain was enough to make up for it. Vader was Sith, but only barely. Sidious hadn’t and didn’t plan on teaching him anything past the barest minimum. Venatrix however…

She would of course be a tool, just like Vader, but Sidious knew he may not discover the secret to immortality before age took him. He needed a true successor at the ready in case he failed. Vader was a mad dog and did not understand subtlety. Venatrix did. She was young, talented, and willingly fell for power. She would be taught how to rule properly, how to be Sith, and when the time came he would have her dispose of Vader like the damaged weapon he was.

Or she would die at some point, and Sidious would have to begin again.

“That’s enough,” Sidious said. He didn’t have time for her amusement to end naturally. 

Immediately and like a switch, Ahsoka let it go, her face flipping to a dispassionate stare. She wasn’t joyed by the deaths of the troopers. No, she did that only out of curiosity. What sent her into a fit of mania was the fact that she felt _ free _ . Truly free. She could do whatever she wanted, and the only thing that held her back was her ability to make it happen. Her _ power _ to make it happen.

“Regret and compassion are things to eradicate within yourself, apprentice. By detaching yourself from your actions, you have only gained, not lost. Do you feel your power growing?”

“In a way,” she said. “I feel like I’ve always had it, but didn’t know it.” She shrugged. “Or maybe I just ignored it.”

“You are correct. Every Jedi, or those taught by them, willingly blinds themselves to true power. Every once in awhile, one of them would embrace to their emotions and discover a greater power than they had ever known. Still yet, they will always be shackled by their past. You too still have the trappings of the Order on you. Those that are Sith from the start have it easier, from a certain point of view. Perhaps with time, you may cut the old threads and truly free yourself, but until you do your potential will always be stunted.”

“What must I do?” she asked eagerly.

“Dispense with your rationalizations,” he said dismissively. “Accept the consequences of your decisions and own them. See others only in their value to further your power. Focus on yourself first, and others only when it is prudent to. That includes the Force itself. It is not something you call to aid you. You grab hold of it, generate power within yourself, and then use it to manifest your will.”

“I understand,” she said. Though she carefully dismissed the last part. Or maybe not? Either way, mistreating the Force sounded like a bad idea.

“You think you do, but we both know that you know nothing,” Sidious said. “Or you simply want to please me so you can get on the shuttle.” He paused. “You want to get in the shuttle, yes? Where it’s warm?”

“Yes!” she admitted, perhaps too loudly. It was hard to tell many things with how numb she felt.

Sidious regarded her for a moment with a weak smile on his face. Then, with a gesture of his hand, her protective suit shredded into pieces, leaving her standing there with only her regular clothes on. Hardly enough for the surface of Ilum. Having already realized it wouldn’t be as easy as walking up the ramp, she scowled at the man.

“You mentioned that I enjoyed torturing others,” the Emperor said. “It’s true. Right now and until you kill me, I am _ your _ torturer, Venatrix. Soon you will make every effort to appease me. You will grow to hate me. To despise me even more than you already do. This is good. Your hatred will make you powerful. Your envy a source of strength as you try to pry every scrap of knowledge you can from me. Eventually you will be an engine of power and change that will not let anything stand in your path. Perhaps even I might fall before you, but until then, you are my _ plaything _.”

He pointed at the top of the sheer ice cliff.

“You want the power to destroy me? _ Fine _. Scale the cliff. I will await you at the top for as long as I care. If you are not on the shuttle by the time it lifts off, I will leave you here to die.”

She stared at him incredulously. “How am I supposed to do that? I don’t have any climbing gear or-”

“That is _ not my problem _ , Venatrix, it is _ yours _. Figure it out,” he snarled. Ahsoka watched for a moment as Sidious casually walked up the ramp of the shuttle, the royal guards following suit. The vessel lifted off and she was left alone, only the piercing winds keeping her company. She knew the man was capable of such callous disregard for the lives of others, but it was only then that she realised.

_ He’s going to leave me here to die. _

Quickly she threw off what remained of the tattered environment suit, attached her lightsabers to her kama, and approached the cliffside. The massive wall offered some slight reprieve from the wind, but hardly enough to warm up in. She reached a hand out, finding that the ice was cold enough for her to get a grip on without it melting. She really hoped it wasn’t because she was getting frostbite. Carefully she pressed at her fingertips, finding just the barest hint of sensation remaining. Nothing was dead yet. Good.

Probably.

She briefly considered free climbing, but memories of the mission to Lola Sayu came to mind. All it took was one slip and you’re dead. There were no electromines here, but her inability to really grip anything made the idea foolish. She bounced in place for a moment, her mind trying to come up with a plan as she slowly died from exposure. With a hiss she jerked back from the burn Sidious had given her hours earlier.

_ Wait. _

That could work. She pulled her lightsabers off her kama, regarding them for a moment. Having disposed of the scrap metal hilts she made a year ago, her crystals were now housed in ones that were sleek and functional. They had a slight curve to their shape, and were somewhat flat. There were no real embellishments, save for a handful of diamond and line designs. She had another design in mind, something more respective of her position, but she doubted it would help her to make something a Sith would wield. Not openly, not yet, and not without the right crystals.

Switching them on, she turned both the blade length and power down. As a test she jammed them into the ice, and hung down off them for a moment. At such a low setting the plasma could still penetrate the wall, but not melt it quickly. Silently she thanked herself for adding the feature to her refined hilts and wrapped her fingers around them tightly. Probably too tightly, but she didn’t want to risk opening her fingers and being unable to close them again while hanging in the air.

She sunk one blade into the wall, and then another, pushing however she could with her feet as she used her weapons as ice picks. Very quickly she found her muscles burning, her body aching for rest and energy. Sidious had denied her food prior to arrival, and the reasoning was now obvious.

This was a test.

He had always intended to have her climb the cliff, if she did what he wanted that is. She wondered how long he would wait for her. Probably just long enough. Though just long enough might be too long for her. Barely a quarter of the way there she was already feeling tired. She submersed herself in the Force, her anger and hatred for the man drawing the dark side to her like food to a hungry dog.

_ Give me stamina and strength _, she requested of it, offering her emotions as payment.

Within seconds the burning stopped, her strength returned, and she even felt the cold dull slightly as she channeled her will into reality. The akul within her was eager to serve, though she didn’t know why. Perhaps she was favored by the dark side? Had it grown tired of Palpatine’s harsh hand and secretly began aiding the one who would respect it? She didn’t know the answers to these questions. 

Instead she allowed it to run free within her. To be Sith was to crave power, and she could definitely do that.

Her limbs trembled as feeling slowly returned to them, the apprentice having focused all of her extra energy into expelling the cold that had taken residence in her flesh. She was young, strong, and powerful. The Force was her ally, and she no longer had any qualms about restraining herself. An amused smile came across her lips at how foolish she had been. At how foolish the Jedi had been. They had squandered their power, restricted themselves when they should have been exploring. She supposed they had a point that the dark side changes a person. She was not ignorant of what was happening to her at that very moment.

She just didn’t care.

Huffing and panting, she finally stuck a lightsaber into the top of the ice, pulling herself onto the flat surface. She relaxed only for a moment, as the first thing she saw was her master walking into the shuttle, the vessel’s boarding ramp beginning to rise.

“No no no nononono!” she shouted, scrambling into a sprint. Her Force enhanced run was just not enough however, as she just barely missed the lip of the boarding ramp. She screamed in rage as she heard the shuttle’s engines start to power up, a red haze settling over her sight.

The shuttle began to lift off, and all manner of fates flashed through her mind, none of them pleasant. The best chance of her survival if she was stranded there was to somehow travel hundreds of kilometers to one of the mining ships, but that could take days she didn’t have.

No.

She refused to be left like this. Her mind was filled with rage, so she decided to use it. After clipping her weapons to her kama, she reached out with both hands and grabbed hold of the shuttle with the Force. The dark side, ever eager to lend her its strength, rushed to her aid, feasting upon her emotions as it lent its claws to her.

The shuttle only made it a few feet before shuddering, her grip pulling it back down. The pilots seemed to be trying to fight her, possibly on Sidious’ order, as the engines kept pushing and pushing at her limits. Seeing how far she could go.

She backed up slightly, just enough for her to see through the cockpit’s canopy. Inside were two helmeted pilots, unreadable save through the Force.

Beneath their training, they were terrified of her. Clones still comprised most of the military, and they likely hadn’t seen a Jedi with that kind of power. She grinned for a moment, but quickly shut it away. They were still fighting her, though from Palpatine’s orders or their own fear, it didn’t matter. With one of her hands she clawed upward, raising the two from their seats. She didn’t even bother strangling them. Instead she simply crushed their necks and let them fall to the floor of the cockpit. Within seconds the shuttle, now without someone at the controls, settled into a failsafe state and set itself back down.

Letting go of the no longer fleeing ship, she walked up to the now descending boarding ramp and onto the vessel. Standing in the passenger compartment was the Emperor, hands casually hanging by his side as he regarded her. The two royal guards took note of her rather confrontational stance, and moved to place themselves in between her and their Emperor.

** _ Head down, tail between your legs_ ** _ , _ the Force whispered.

She raised a hand. The guards were in her way. She thought about just killing them outright, but that would accomplish nothing. Instead she slammed them into the walls. They would recover.

** _ Head down, tail between your legs._ **

She stomped up to Sidious, who had yet to move. Not out of fear, naturally. The man feared nothing. She was nothing, but she didn’t _ feel _ like nothing.

** _ Head down, tail between your legs!_ **

Her hands hovered over her lightsabers. She wanted so..._ so _ badly to cut the man down. All it would take is a single swipe of her weapons and it would be over. He was just an old man, after all. What could he possibly do to her? Her hands closed around her weapons…

** _ HEAD DOWN, TAIL BETWEEN YOUR LEGS!_ **

She let go, stared at him for a moment, forced her emotions back into line, and slowly kneeled. If she was even remotely a threat, he would have never let her get this close. She thought herself a predator, and she was, but she was in the rancor’s den. No amount of fury or hot footedness would allow her to deal with the Leviathan’s level of power. Not yet.

“Venatrix,” the Emperor said.

“Master,” Ahsoka replied. She found it strange that she didn’t spit the name out like a curse, right until she didn’t. She hated the man, intensely, but she no longer felt outrage at his actions. For on some level, she was like him now. He did what was required to achieve the power he desired. She would too. It was the way of things.

Behind her, the guards stirred from their stupor, the stun from being slammed into durasteel wearing off. They immediately trained their rifles on Ahsoka’s back, but she paid them no mind.

“My Emperor?” one of them asked.

“At ease,” Sidious commanded. “The pilots have been killed. Both of you into the cockpit. Take us back to Imperial Center.”

As one, the two guardsmen replaced their rifles within their capes and did as they were bid, shutting the door behind them. Now alone, Sidious studied Venatrix closely, probing her with the Force and smiling when he found only submission.

“An apprentice is completely loyal, until they are not,” Sidious said. “That is what I require of you. You will do my bidding. You will obey my every command without question. I will tolerate your insolence in private, but if you show even a hint of it while another is watching…”

“I understand,” Venatrix said. “And in return for my loyalty, you will teach me your secrets. You will show me the way to power. When I have no further use for you...” It wasn’t a demand. It was a statement. The contract between master and apprentice that had been carried out for thousands of years. A contract she had become very familiar with as she read the texts the Emperor had assigned her to learn.

Sidious huffed in approval. “Very good,” he purred. He reached out, stroking at the top of the girl’s head. Pleasure exploded into her body, and she found herself unable to hold back the moans bursting from her mouth. Her eyes rolled back as she tilted her head into her master’s hand, eager to receive more of her reward. All things must end however, and she whimpered as he pulled his hand away, eager for more.

“Very good..._ my _ apprentice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have read the Plagueis novel, you will have recognized this chapter to be extremely similar. This was the way Palpatine was taught, after all, and it makes sense to me that he would do something similar.
> 
> If you think that holding down a Theta-class shuttle is beyond Ahsoka's power, even while fallen, I point you to Rebels Season 2, Episode 5. If two Inquisitors (who are barely even the fraction of a Sith's strength) can hold the Phantom, I believe that someone who has had actual instruction can do so. Also she's a badass, which trumps it all anyway ;)
> 
> Don't worry if you think she's going to go full edgelord Sith. There will be a personality underneath.
> 
> So, in my headcanon, lightsabers that are set below "disintegrate" still pass through material, simply transferring an amount of heat instead of bouncing off. That choice, along with the fact that Palpatine rewards his less prideful apprentices with... *ahem* THAT, are inspired by "Morning Star," a Sith Obi-Wan series by Kurenaino. You can read it here: https://archiveofourown.org/series/556126 You'll likely see a few other choices inspired by that as well.


	3. Anchors

**Alderaan**

Bail Organa was not pleased. “You need to stop this,” he said.

Ahsoka wasn’t concerned. “I’m fine, Bail.”

The human cocked a brow and brought up a datapad. “Frostbite remnants, muscle and ligament damage in your hands and arms, bruises, cracked bones, lightsaber burns,  _ electrical burns? _ ” He dropped the pad down on his desk and just looked at her incredulously. “ _ You’re fine? _ ” He let out a disbelieving huff and shook his head. “What happened?”

She shrugged. “Occupational hazards.”

“Occu- These could have killed you! At least tell me you’re not  _ letting _ Palpatine do this.”

Ahsoka took a deep breath and let it out. She may have been Sith, but she didn’t dismiss Jedi techniques simply because they were used by practitioners of the light. There were plenty of abilities and skills that were useful to her.

For example, expelling her anger and frustration at Bail.

“He won’t kill me,” she said confidently.

Bail gave her a flat look. “How can you be so sure? You know how disposable everyone else is to him.”

“Then I will be indisposable,” she countered.

The senator pressed his lips into a thin line. “You know what that means,” he said warningly.

“And you know what I told you in the beginning,” she replied. “That if it isn’t me, it will be someone else. Someone worse.”

Bail grumbled for a moment. “You said you were going to spy on the Empire, Ahsoka. So far all that’s happened is Palpatine sent you to Shili to live among your people, and now…” He gestured to her half healed injuries. “Why were you even  _ on _ Shili?”

She pretended to think for a moment. She already knew of course. She was sent there to attach to the villagers in preparation for what he called the Sacrifice. An action of betrayal and murder that proved an aspiring Sith was willing to go to whatever lengths to succeed. She didn’t know that at the time, but now it made sense, and after she dealt with her feelings on the matter, she was fine with it.

** _Until you aren’t._ **

“He wanted me to feel,” she said. “He wanted to make sure I wasn’t still a Jedi. One of the ways to do that is to make attachments.”

“That seems quite tame,” Bail said. “What we’re heard about the Inquisitors made me think he’d have you commit a massacre.”

There was a split second’s hesitation. “I’m not an Inquisitor, Bail,” she said.

“Then what are you to him?” he asked. “Because this…” He gestured to her injuries again. “Makes you look like a slave.”

“I’m a weapon,” she said truthfully. “Darksiders thrive on pain. The training is brutal.”

“Which is useless because you’re  _ not _ a darksider,” Bail said. He paused, looking at her carefully. “Right?”

She pitied the man slightly. Without sensitivity to the Force, all he had to go off of were the vague and instinctual feelings that every creature had. Everything alive was touched by the Force, and thus everyone had access to it. Some simply more than others. She was sure he felt something in the back of his mind, but nothing as clear as what even an Initiate could sense.

“I have been doing so when needed to appease the man,” she said evenly. It wasn’t even a lie.

“And you can keep control of yourself?” he asked. She had once before lied to him in order to explain her capture on Raada. One part of this was that she fell, hard, and only regained control of herself just in time to stop herself from doing harm to the fledgling Rebellion.

The best lies are made mostly of the truth, after all.

“The more I use it, the easier it is to do so,” she said. “I remind myself of why I do what I do. Of all the crimes the Empire has done, of all the people that suffer. Even if I do fall for good, Bail, I’ll remember my mission.”

The good senator looked at her uneasily for a moment, but the man was unfortunately out of his depth. There was little he could do other than trust her. Or not. There were other ways to influence the Rebellion if things fell apart.

Bail sighed, but his tension did not leave. “Very well.” He brought up a datapad and eyed it for a moment. “I suppose we’ll move on to what you’ve accomplished for the Rebellion, which is…” He huffed, his eyes widening at her report. “Considerable. Despite being forced to run your operations mostly on your ship, you’ve managed to create something in a year that I wouldn’t be able to in ten.”

“The Force is an expert guide,” she said with a slight, self indulgent smile. “Though I was mostly following your example,” she added. “Your listeners were a good start. They led me to other people who want to do something about the Empire. I’ve found a few cells to pass on information to, others not so much. Mostly though I’ve been getting more listeners in the right places, and tasking them with finding their own subordinates. I think soon we’ll have enough coverage to really get things going.”

“Very good,” Bail said. “Though, the cells you’re ignoring. You don’t trust them?”

“For various reasons,” she said. “A lot of them don’t want to group together and prefer to stay on their own worlds. Then there are the bad ones. The groups that are too violent or are no better than thieves. I’ve been giving them up from time to time to the Empire to keep Palpatine sated.”

Bail shifted about uncomfortably. “You’re sure?”

“Positive,” she said confidently. “The galaxy is ultimately better without them. All that would happen if we allowed them to join is needless bloodshed and corruption. They’re blinded by their hatred or greed, and if we allow that into the Rebellion it will spread. Soon enough we’ll be no better than the Empire.”

“Agreed on that point,” he said immediately. “I still do not like giving people to the Empire though. We are sending them to torture and execution.”

Ahsoka remained silent for a moment, considering how to proceed. Bail was a die hard believer in personal liberties such as fair trials and immunity from unreasonable punishment. It was something she shared, though the emotional element was left behind on Ilum. Instead she saw them as something necessary to life, like food, water, and oxygen. Deprive someone of them for too long, and they die. Deprive a group for too long, and they rebel.

She fell to make the galaxy a better place, and she intended to do just that. However in any war, hard choices must be made. Well,  _ hard _ didn’t quite describe her decisions. They were simply challenging. Actions had consequences, and she had to figure out what they were. It was ironic, actually. Her detachment might have still been imperfect, but it was something she never truly accomplished as a Jedi.

“They would have killed or harmed more lives had they lived,” she said. Her voice was soft, but left no room for uncertainty.

“You can’t know that,” Bail said. “They could realize they’re going too far, and stop.”

She nodded. “They might, but like you said, I can’t predict the future. All I know is that  _ now _ , these people are terrorists and thieves, not freedom fighters, and not the people we want around to sully the Rebellion’s name when we go public. Think about it logically, not emotionally. Take a step back and add this to the big picture you’re looking at.”

“Like a Jedi?” Bail asked slowly.

“Like a Jedi.”

“The Jedi would never condone torture and executions,” he said.

“You’re right, they wouldn’t.” She leaned back slightly in her chair. “Neither do I, but they also were required to obey the laws of the planet they were on, even if they didn’t agree with them. This is the galaxy we live in, Bail. There’s nothing we can do about the Empire directly yet, so we’ll have to work around it. Don’t think of it as needless death.”

She gestured casually with her hand, bringing just the lightest touch of the Force behind her words.

“Try to think of what I’m doing as contributing to the greater good.”

Bail looked at her for a moment, his jaw moving slightly as he considered her words. It wasn’t a Force command she gave him, or even a suggestion the Jedi would use. Instead it was something even more subtle, something Obi-Wan had mentioned to her once when explaining to her how mind tricks worked. It was, in effect, a kind of cancer. It was a tiny thing at the start, hardly an influence at all, but it would grow eventually into what the instigator wanted. Someone of strong mind wouldn’t even be aware of it until a friend pointed it out. It could take years, but by that point, it would be hard to distinguish between what was foreign and what was not.

The Jedi had no use for such a power. It was insidious and deceitful. Kenobi had only told her and Anakin of it so they could be made aware and thus, had a defense against it. Ahsoka doubted that this is what he intended she would be doing with that knowledge, but it didn’t matter. Bail needed to be gradually brought underneath her thumb as insurance.

That is, if she did it correctly. She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that it took an extremely light touch with the Force. Out of curiosity, she sent a probe into the Force, asking for its thoughts.

** _The trap is set, young cub_ ** , the dark side purred.

That was good enough for her.

They spent the remainder of their time discussing future endeavors for the Rebellion. The farmers from Raada had settled in nicely on an out of the way world and had begun producing foodstuffs for the existing and future soldiers. Recruitment was still only trickling due to the Empire’s popularity, but eventually atrocities like Antar would repeat themselves, and in a few years the ranks would begin swelling. People like Tarkin were ironically a boon for them.

“What about ships?” she asked. “Have you found any potential builders?”

Bail sighed in disappointment. “You know I considered Dac, but that was before the Empire occupied the planet. For now we will have to rely on donations and those we purchase through fronts.”

“Right,” Ahsoka said. “I’ll see what I can do about maybe finding some sympathizers. I believe that’s all?”

“Yes,” the senator said, both of them standing up. “Would you like to join us for lunch?”

Normally she would say no. Normally she had things to do. However this time, she felt the Force nudge her gently to reconsider. Sith didn’t follow the will of the Force. Or so Sidious said. However, only fools would ignore what someone or something has to say outright as a rule.

“I’d love to,” she said.

Bail was surprised, but it quickly faded into a contented smile. He led her through the corridors of the royal palace, making some small talk as they approached the dining room. As they approached a corner, the Force nudged her again. It wasn’t a warning of danger or threat, but more like a quiet point towards something of interest.

** _Pay attention._ **

“...and with Vader absent, some of the fear in the Senate Building has lifted. I-”

“DADDY!”

A blurred mass of white dressed toddler crashed into Bail from the side. The man, having not expected the sudden child, staggered and fell, his hands reaching out reflexively onto anything that might break his descent.

The only thing within reach was a statue on a plinth.

Bail’s hands grabbed at the small piece of furniture, toppled it over, and he, the artwork, and its pedestal were sent plummeting to the ground. Next to them, the toddler gasped as she realized what had happened. The little girl expected them all to fall to the ground, but when she opened her eyes, everything was floating in mid air. Next to her father was an orange skinned lady, her hand held out. With graceful movements her father was pulled upright, and both the statue and its resting place were put back in their proper positions.

The little girl gasped in awe at the display of magic, the consequences of her actions swiftly forgotten. “Witch!” she cried out, a huge smile on her face.

Ahsoka smirked a bit at the title, but looked to Bail. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Bail allowed himself to breathe for a moment before straightening his clothes and posture. “Yes, thank you Ahsoka.” He quickly gave the little girl a stern look. “Young lady, what did your mother and I say about running inside?”

The toddler adopted an innocent smile and attempted to look sweet. She succeeded. “You say don’t…”

Bail sighed, instantly softening. “That’s right Leia, and why don’t we run inside?”

“Could get hurt…” Leia said, guilt radiating from the toddler.

“That’s right. Now what do you say?”

“Sorry, daddy,” the girl mewled.

“And say sorry to Ahsoka for making her do that. Her magic is a secret.”

Leia turned to the Togruta, though her guilt was only part of the story. She was very obviously interested in the magic the Togruta had displayed, just as any child would be. “Sorry, ‘Soka,” she said.

A frown pulled at Ahsoka’s lips, one that Bail immediately noticed. “You’re forgiven, little one,” she said.

Bail picked up her daughter and they resumed their walk to the dining room, bouncing the little girl along the way. “Are you okay?” he asked Ahsoka.

“I’ll be fine,” she said. Really, she wasn’t. She was vibrating underneath her skin with old anger, but allowing it to spread with the little one around would do nothing good. Children weren’t hardened to the world like adults or even adolescents were, and even nonsensitive toddlers could be affected by such intense emotion. Leia didn’t deserve that just for being herself. “Master Plo used to call me ‘Soka. It brought back some painful memories.”

“If you want, I can speak to her about it,” Bail offered.

“No, it’s fine, really,” she replied. It seemed to be enough to satisfy the man, and so they continued on to lunch. The dining room was a smaller one, meant for just the family and a few guests. Serving droids brought them a light lunch. Nothing too fancy. Ahsoka appreciated that about Alderaan. Bail may have been married to the Queen, but neither of them flaunted their wealth like so many.

Leia wouldn’t stop staring at her from her high chair. Ahsoka didn’t mind it, really. In fact it was cute of the child and expected. Ahsoka was something out of a story to the toddler, and Leia could barely contain her excitement to be having lunch with one.

“Mamma,” Leia tried to whisper. Though really it was just very loud and breathy. “Mamma!”

“Yes, Leia?” Breha said.

“Soka’s witch! You know?”

Breha looked over at the Togruta, who simply looked at the Queen with an amused smile and cocked brow. “Yes dear, I did know. She’s a friend of your father.”

Leia let out an exaggerated gasp and brought her hands to her mouth. “Daddy’s friends a witch!” The girl exploded in barely restrained excitement, her mind swimming with possibilities. Ahsoka was somewhat surprised at how well the girl was spoken for a 2 year old, but considering the love and attention Leia was getting, it wasn’t too surprising. “Do magic?” Leia asked of the Sith.

Ahsoka looked at the parents. “May I?” she asked. Breha and Bail looked at each other for a moment, giving each other a few looks that the Togruta could not parse.

“Nothing dangerous,” Bail said.

“Of course,” Ahsoka replied. She wasn’t sure why that was needed to be clarified, but let it go. With a gentle raise of her hand, she considered how she was going to do it. The dark side was strength, but it was strength she didn’t need at the time. Anakin once told her that one of the lines Palpatine had given to try and entice him was that the Sith practice all aspects of the Force. There was nothing in the Sith Code or the books Palpatine had given her that said a Sith must practice only the dark side, just that it was stronger. Perhaps this kind of situation was something he was referring to? She didn’t need the dark side’s strength here. Why throw a punch, when a tap will do?

This seemed appropriate.

With a gentle pull, Ahsoka drew upon the light to levitate the eating utensils next to her plate. It had been quite awhile since she had done so, and the warmth that spread through her body as she allowed it in was somewhat jarring. She felt the ravenous predator that was the dark side snap at the placid workhorse as it was allowed entry, and she knew immediately that something must be done when the light reared itself in response.

_ You are aspects of the same Force _ , she told them, swatting both of their noses. _ Behave _ .

She felt both of them recoil at her words, but their antagonistic behavior ceased when it became apparent that she had no intention of expelling one or the other.

Like the old friend that it was, the light easily came to her call, and she levitated the utensils into the air. Leia squealed in joy as she watched them float over the table and near the toddler. The joy radiating off the girl would have been palpable to someone who was blind and deaf. Ahsoka couldn’t help but smile as the waves of happiness washed over her, and for a moment she got caught up in it.

A Jedi wouldn’t have allowed themselves to do so, but she wasn’t a Jedi. She was Sith, and while the legends portrayed murderous monsters, they were somewhat false. Like all tales, legends of the Sith by the Jedi focused mostly on the most prominent. The most malevolent. The conquerors. The Jedi forgot that this happens in any society. The loudest members are remembered the most. Everyone remembers Exar Kun, Revan and Malak, Vitiate. They don’t remember the regular people. The common Sith that tried their best, but weren’t the most destructive or dark. The Jedi focused on the most infamous, and branded all Sith monsters due to fear and stereotypes.

She didn’t know if her predecessors chose to allow such positive emotions to flow through them, but she would. She would break the mold. This joy she was feeling from the child was natural and healthy, and she would embrace it just as she had embraced her hatred. She didn’t know what would happen, but she would learn.

_ The Force will free me _ , the Sith Code said, and as such she was free to be whatever kind of Sith she wanted.

She wanted to be the kind of Sith that Leia could look up to. That all children to see and think  _ that person is here to protect me. That person is here to help the galaxy. _

So she would.

Sidious taught her that compassion and guilt were weaknesses. It was true, but that didn’t mean she had to spread misery wherever she went. No, she could and would be kind and generous to the innocent, and reserve her hatred for those that would harm them.

It was her right.

After finishing and goodbyes, she returned to her office elsewhere in the city. Bail had offered her a place in the palace, but she was taking enough risk being on Alderaan as it was. If the Imperial Security Bureau traced any of her transmissions, she wanted him to be as far away from her as possible. Still yet, he managed to convince her to stay in Aldera City. The apartment she had been so generously granted was large enough for both her and the work, but only just. It wasn’t as if she was a public figure, after all.

She quickly skimmed through her Fulcrum updates, one of them catching her eye.

MILITARY SHIPYARD AT KUAT BOMBED

Kuat was one of the main production facilities for the entire Imperial starfleet. If that was crippled… She quickly skimmed the information. Only a single drydock was hit. Casualties were in the hundreds, but property damage was quite severe. An  _ Imperial- _ class star destroyer would suffer a setback of months to be completed, though that was only the estimate of her listener. Considering they were permanently on Kuat, they might know what they are talking about. There was very little other information. The two suspected bombers were human, one male and one female. The had posed as Imperial personnel and had escaped on a YT-2000, destination unknown. Two more individuals are seen in the cockpit, but video evidence is too grainy to make them out.

Ahsoka didn’t really care for bombs. Too crude and wide in their destruction. During the war, when used against droids they were fine, but often when they were attacking die hard Separatist worlds there would be organic militias mixed in with the droids. Often Anakin would call in an airstrike for a bunker or building, search it for surviving droids, and find bloody chunks or charred corpses.

And then there was Barriss, who bombed one of the hangars in the temple and-

“Barriss…”

Was Barriss still alive? Still rotting in prison? Ahsoka wondered what she would do if her former friend was still around. Former friend? Still friend? Barriss fell, but so did Ahsoka. The Mirialan was probably an Inquisitor now. Or dead. She wasn’t sure what to feel about that. On one hand, Barriss betrayed her, and thinking about it burned within her, but on another, it was that betrayal that ultimately saved Ahsoka’s life.

She sighed and shook her head, clarity eluding her. She would learn Barriss’ fate at a later time. If Barriss was dead, she would forget her eventually. If not…

A hunger gnawed within the apprentice, only to be banished. She had work to do. Quickly she typed up a message to her listener on Kuat to see what they could find out about the bombers, and sent out a broadcast to everyone else with what little description she had of the crew to keep an eye out. If these rebels had hit a civilian target, they would be fodder for her reputation with the Emperor. But they didn’t, and so they were candidates for Bail’s Rebellion.

Closing down the terminal, she laid back in her chair. The kind of Sith a child would admire. What would that mean? Obviously not murdering people in cold blood. Or at least not when someone was watching.

The screams of the villagers came out of the dark hiding spots in her mind. She easily swatted them away. That was  _ necessary _ . She needed to numb herself to the plights of others so her vision would be clear. Sacrifice a couple hundred to save  _ trillions _ .

Was gauging herself on an average child’s opinion the best thing even? Children were easy to trick and manipulate, and saw the world in black and white. Children didn’t run the galaxy. Adults did. At least everywhere that wasn’t Naboo.

She smirked for a moment, but it faded. Trying to impress everyone would only end in failure. Sidious said she shouldn’t care about her reputation, only the results. She wasn’t sure why he didn’t consider that everyone’s reputation affects how the results are interpreted. Case in point, her master himself. He had a significant amount of leeway in regards to how many atrocities he could commit before he ran out of goodwill. Then people would see his accomplishments as less and less until he fixed the problem.

She couldn’t impress everyone. There were far too many people, species, and cultures within species to do so. Someone would always be unhappy, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t at least do her best. Children of most species were similar enough. Naive, easily impressed, and quick to judge.

It would do, at least in a coarse sense. She wasn’t going to be going out of her way to make sure that younglings  _ worshipped _ her, but she could at times consider what Leia would think of her actions.

After all, she was trying to save the galaxy. Turning into a cartoon villain would only make that harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The type of Force persuasion Ahsoka used on Bail is completely made up, but it suits my purposes and sounds Sithy enough. I doubt Ahsoka visited Bail personally for her reports in canon out of paranoia for security, but our lovely Lady Venatrix obviously is simply using the Rebellion. How so? You'll see. Also, baby Leia! Will this demonstration of the Force translate into something more? Possibly. *Rubs hands together evilly.*
> 
> For the uninformed: Raada is the farming moon which Ahsoka found herself on about a year after the Empire's formation. She helped organize a small revolt there. Dac (or Mon Calamari) is the planet that will eventually supply the capital ships for the Rebellion in canon. Roughly at the same time as the Ahsoka novel, Vader and Tarkin are busy subjugating the world for its disobedience. Antar is a world that sided with the CIS during the Clone Wars. Tarkin (surprise) committed mass arrests and executions there as punishment, not even bothering to sort out the Imperial loyalists from the massacre.


	4. Long Term Planning

**Ogoth Tiir**

Another day, another battle. Luckily, this battle was set to close out the reconquest of the Western Reaches. Tarkin was, as he demonstrated in the Clone Wars, a brilliant, if brutal, strategist. Nearly every engagement resulted in victory, with the little defeat suffered due to the aspirations of underlings who thought they could usurp Tarkin’s position by attempting their own maneuvers without authorization. After word spread that those captains who did such a thing quickly found themselves stripped of rank and assigned stormtrooper armor, the insubordination ceased quite quickly.

Of course, the main ground weapon of Tarkin was Darth Vader. The thousands of troops, walkers, and tanks were certainly something to be considered by forces both enemy and friendly, but nothing compared to the sheer destructive capability of the Sith Lord.

Anakin was tired. Beyond tired. Battle after battle was chained together with little time for rest between them. The officers were tired, the stormtroopers were tired, and he was sure even Tarkin was tired, but he couldn’t care less about them. The suit that was both his link to life and his prison ensured that sleep was light and never satisfying, instead only making sure he didn’t pass out or go mad from complete deprivation.

After he cut down yet another nameless soldier, he paused and looked around. The building he was in had been emptied of enemies and allies alike. After a moment of consideration, he extinguished his blood red blade and sat down upon one of the few chairs that weren’t destroyed by the fighting. His whole body cried out in relief. The ever present pain that plagued him naturally didn’t fade, but it felt as if his flesh would take whatever it could get. Even his prosthetics, which were maintained impeccably, seemed to send feedback that certain catches or stresses that had been bugging him had finally loosed.

The battle could handle itself without him for a moment.

He closed his eyes, not intending to sleep, but instead settling into a light meditative trance to help clear his head. Even Sith needed time to themselves, and the insignificant sleep he had been getting didn’t count. Tarkin was, like the Emperor, a slave driver. Anakin was sure that Tarkin intended to see just how far he could push the Sith before he collapsed, something he would eventually die for. Anakin was no mere Jedi however. He was Sith. He had no limits. Even still, he was only flesh and blood, and it could only take so much before it was damaged.

The trance came easy, his mind eager for respite. The cantina he was in vanished, almost instantly he found himself levitating over an endless sea of black water. Surrounding him were storm clouds, lightning shooting constantly between the sea and the sky. A deep red glow permeated the entire area. His sanctuary.

Home.

The waters were choppy, as they always were. Wind and turbulence surrounded him in the Force, amplified by the actions of war in the mundane world. On the edge of his perception he heard Tarkin trying to reach him on his comm. Without a care he switched it off. Let Tarkin fume. Anakin had reached his limit with the man. There would be no more submission. If the Moff angered him once more, he would be made an example of, regardless of what the Emperor threatened.

Far off into the distance, he spied something he had thought removed. Bright blue insects, gentle and graceful, danced around aimlessly. The insignificant specks of what remained of the light side within him. He had thought them eradicated. His hand shot out immediately, tendrils of hatred springing forth from his black and red form. Within seconds they reached the pathetic weakness that was the light and wrapped around them. The infestation of what remained of his time as a Jedi would be crushed, and-

And then what?

He hesitated. The Jedi had taught him everything he knew. Far more than he had learned as a Sith from Palpatine. The fact that he had spent only two years as Sith was irrelevant. The Emperor had barely taught him anything at all. Sidious even had stated that there would be little to teach him in regards to the Force. He only gave him guidance on the dark side, and even then it was rare. What Anakin- or  _ Vader _ , rather, was to him was simply a tool. A weapon. Much like the Inquisitors, he had been taught just enough to function.

The Jedi may have betrayed the Republic, but to them, he was more to them than just a weapon. For the majority of his time with them, at least.

_ “Why are you hesitant to hunt the Jedi?” Vader asked his apprentice. _

_ _ _ “Why are you so eager?” the shot back. _

_ _ _ “They betrayed the Republic and the Chancellor. They deserve nothing more than traitors’ deaths.” _

_ _ _ “All of the Jedi betrayed the Republic,” she said flatly. “Every single one?” _

_ _ _ “They followed their precious Council blindly. It would have only been a matter of time.” _

_ _ _ She stared at him, unimpressed. “ _ You _ didn’t.” _

_ _ _ “I knew better, I-” _

_ _ _ “So you knew better than all of them? Every single Jedi? Don’t you remember what you told me? Palpatine used you. He used the Republic. He used the Clones. He lied to you, Anakin.” _

_ _ _ He said nothing, unable to come up with a retort. _

_ _ _ “You said that the cost for Padmé’s life was theirs. Fine, but don’t let yourself believe the lies you’ve been fed. The Jedi are outlawed because Palpatine wanted them gone. The Council may have been committing treason, but…” She paused. “Look me in the eye and tell me that every single Jedi you killed was planning on doing what the Emperor accused them of.” _

_ _ _ He could not. _

The tendrils retreated. Encouraged by this development, the insects swarmed him, eager to surround the man’s blackened soul once more. In frustration he swatted at them half heartedly, and they allowed him some space. He would tolerate them. They represented his past. Many times his master stated that Anakin Skywalker was dead, killed by Darth Vader. Perhaps he was right for a time. Perhaps Skywalker was reborn on Mustafar, but even phoenixes retained some of their trappings.

His personal issues dealt with, at least for now, Anakin turned his attention outward towards the future. A year had already been wasted on this military action. A year away from his apprentice, his partner, his  _ friend _ . No more. As soon as was possible he would meet with her or otherwise establish communications. They needed to coordinate. She needed to begin manipulating the infantile Rebellion into ultimately serving them if she hadn’t been already, and he needed to start acquiring allies among the Imperial Military.

Anakin wasn’t one for scrying the future. The Jedi always said that doing so was useless, that it only caused suffering as the practitioner struggled to alter events they had no business altering. The dreams that came to Anakin were always nightmares, visions of his loved ones dying. That had to change. His master was excellent at foresight, and if they hoped to ultimately defeat him, one or both of them must learn the skill.

Initially he gripped the Force, preparing himself to make it show him what he wanted, but something stopped him. Ahsoka seemed perfectly capable of channeling the dark side without resorting to such methods, and Anakin himself had considered at the very least examining it. He hadn’t the time to do so as Tarkin’s lap dog. Experimentation when one’s life was on the line was reserved for emergencies only, and when everything else had failed.

That situation untrue now, he considered this an excellent opportunity to try. Releasing the Force from his stranglehold, he instead called it to heel. As if speaking commands rather than yanking the chain, the Force came to him timidly, his previous interactions with it brutish and punishing. The power granted to him was far less than he was used to, and for a moment he considered abandoning the charade and following his master’s teachings.

He was patient, though. Anakin Skywalker was always one to jump the gun and run in with his lightsaber. When he failed against his Jedi Master, he learned patience as he nearly burned to death.

The Force stepped closer and closer, curious and cautious. It requested payment for the power that Skywalker asked for, and for a moment he almost smacked it for such insult. He held his hand, however. If the dark side of the Force demanded payment, he knew exactly what it needed. Rage. Anger. Hatred. He had these in abundance, and like a starving dog the dark side gorged itself on the food he dropped at its feet. The beast eyed him carefully, curious about this sudden change in demeanor, but payment was met, and thus power was granted. It pointed to the water below Skywalker’s form.

** _Listen to the story, and remember_ ** _ ,  _ it said.

A blur of information appeared in the water, only to vanish. Anakin growled at how useless it was, and once again prepared to take control, but as one of the irritating insects floated past his vision, he stopped himself. Patience was key. Recklessness and greed was what got him in the suit. He scryed the future again, the blur passing by once more. Again he tried. Again, and again. Once more, this time commanding it to stop. His eyes widened as he was pulled into a vision.

It was a battlefield on a world he didn’t recognize. Bodies littered a green grassland at night, staining the ground with blood. Stormtroopers, droids, and irregular militia that he didn’t recognize were mixed together haphazardly. Off in the distance stood several figures. He walked towards them, the ground squishing beneath his boots. He eventually arrived at the scene, finding three groups of people.

On one side was Palpatine, a number of darksiders flanking him. The Force wouldn’t show who was at the Emperor’s side, just a number of black shadows. He assumed they were Inquisitors, or perhaps some other manner of dark side order he had been building in secret. Regardless, it was obvious that they meant ill will for the other two groups.

The second group was smaller. The obvious two were himself and Ahsoka. Beside her was a figure in white, and beside him was a figure in black. Both of them were blurred and unreadable. Perhaps new apprentices, or allies. It was unknown how far into the future this vision took place. All four of them were extending a hand towards the third group, though seeing as to who they were, he didn’t expect much to come of it.

The anothers were Jedi. Many Jedi. It was easily readable by their stance. The faint hint of pure light that the vision was providing. Half had their sabers drawn at the Emperor, while the other drew towards himself and his partners. The four usurpers drew only against the Emperor, while the Master naturally wanted everyone destroyed.

Curious. Perhaps they would find use for the Jedi in the future. Or maybe an alliance could be formed. It was unlikely though. The Jedi would never ally with the Sith, even against other Sith.

And yet…

The white and black figures wielded green and blue blades, respectively. Allies, then?

Anakin inspected the group of Jedi more closely, trying to clear the images. It would pay to know who exactly he was dealing with. Try as he might however, nothing would clear. Nothing except…

A human male. Bearded. Maybe a Miraluka, based on the mask he wore over his eyes. It had familiar symbols painted onto the front.  _ Jaig eyes _ , symbols of Mandalorian honor and skill. Rex had a pair on his helm. Perhaps the man had Mandalorian roots? His lightsaber bore a modest, flared guard around the emitter. Good for preventing one’s hand from slipping up and contacting the blade.

Before he could study the image further, the Force roared in warning. His eyes refocused back into the material world, and he found the image of a determined face in his red tinted optical feed. A boy, no older than sixteen most likely, holding a lightsaber in a defensive position.

A lightsaber.

Sitting up fast enough to knock the chair over, Anakin brought his blade out, the boy’s resolve immediately crumbling as its light bathed the room.

“You should have struck when you had the chance,  _ Jedi _ . When I had my guard down,” Anakin said.

“Yeah well that’s why the Jedi are better than you!” the boy bit back, hiding his fear physically. In the Force however, it was as obvious as a blinding light. The boy struck first, swinging in an unrefined version of Soresu. Anakin casually blocked, not needing to draw more than a trickle of the Force to bear it.

_ Obi-Wan would have been appalled at how sloppy the boy is, _ he thought. However soon the thoughts of his old Master brought forth the rage that still burned within his heart. The boy’s eyes widened as Anakin went on the offensive, smashing through the boy’s defense in two blows before sending him flying into a wall with a push. Hardly a threat at all.

The boy immediately crumpled as his body absorbed the impact, and Anakin moved forward to finish the Jedi whelp off. Something caught his eye, however. The weapon the boy wielded…

Anakin promptly called it to his hand, and quickly took note. Well crafted, the parts obviously from the pre assembled pieces available to Jedi younglings. Based on the boy’s age, he must have barely been a Padawan when Order 66 was enacted. However, as he examined the flared guard around the emitter, he immediately recognized it.

_ The Jedi from his vision _ .

Had the Force shown him this one specifically because of his presence in the future? Anakin grumbled slightly, unsure. Maybe he was a threat, but then again he and his allies were busy attempting to broker some kind of alliance or non-aggression pact with the Jedi. Perhaps...yes, this would maybe be the beginning of such a thing. Perhaps through this Jedi boy, greater things could be achieved.

Anakin advanced, pointing his weapon at the boy’s throat. The boy quickly recovered from his stunning, and opened his eyes, only to freeze as the blood red blade threatened to burn the pit of his throat away..

“Ah, kriff,” the boy said, and within his helmet Anakin snickered. That did not sound like a Padawan. “Just tell me why?”

Anakin smirked. “So sure I’m going to kill you, boy?”

“You killed all the other Jedi, didn’t you?” the boy said. For a moment he shivered, the Dark Lord’s aura in the Force overwhelming him. “You’re a Sith,” he sneered.

“Yes, I am a Sith,” Anakin said. “And maybe I won’t kill you. Answer my questions.”

The boy swallowed hard, but nodded his head.

“Name,” Anakin demanded.

“Kanan Jarrus,” the boy stuttered.

Anakin tilted his head. It felt like a lie, but not quite. A new name, then. Smart.

“Do you know of any other Jedi that survived?” the lord demanded.

Kanan swallowed, but quickly his fearful face scrunched up into a scowl. “Even if I did I wouldn’t tell you!”

Anakin liked the kid already. “You would…if I wanted to, I could make you.” The boy just sneered. “Who was your master?”

Jarrus huffed, seemingly to debate telling him before a pained wince came to his eyes. “Depa Billaba.”

Anakin tilted his head again. Windu’s Padawan. One of two in the entire Order trusted to use the Vaapad without supervision. He doubted the boy knew anything of it, but Billaba was a strong woman. Her Padawan would be strong as well.

“Do you want to stop the Emperor?” Anakin asked.

The boy hesitated, but not out of fear or apathy. Anakin had seen the expression on his own face many times as a child. Desire to strike back, but knowing it would only fail.

“I won’t be your apprentice!” the boy bit.

Anakin scoffed, and this time it came through his respirator. “The position is filled,” he said before he could stop himself. He winced for a moment, but he doubted that this boy would be any threat to him with the knowledge. “There is a person trying to bring together rebels and other beings dissatisfied with the Emperor’s rule. Fulcrum. Seek them out, I’m sure they will have a use for you.”

“Do you really expect me to believe that?” Jarrus asked. “You’re a Sith! All you do is lie and kill!”

“As it so happens, I dislike liars,” Anakin growled. As a peace offering, he pulled his blade away from the boy and tossed the Jedi’s weapon back to its owner. “My master included. I am unhappy with how he is handling things, and want them to change.”

Kanan scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re eager to make everything all better.”

“Is it so outlandish?” the Sith asked. “What use is a dead galaxy to someone, even a Sith?”

Kanan looked at the armored man warily. This wasn’t how he thought it would happen. He obviously expected a fight, not words. He shook his head, as if clearing a distraction which, Vader most definitely was.

“You’re trying to manipulate me!” the Padawan yelled.

“Am I?” Anakin shrugged. “Perhaps I am. Or perhaps you should remember your training and  _ listen to the Force. _ ”

The boy’s eyes widened, and Anakin felt him reach out into the Force for guidance. It was untamed though. Unrefined. The boy had barely any skill to call his own. He was so far behind Ahsoka, who was nearly at one with the Force at times. No. Without the Force to back his words, Anakin would have no success here and today. Perhaps in time the boy will learn the skill to cut through the darkness and pain in the galaxy, but not now.

“I can’t sense anything,” Kanan said, both embarrassed and skeptical.

“As I expected. There is nothing further for us to discuss.” He pointed his weapon towards the establishment’s back door. “Go. Once you gain the skill to ask the Force if I was being truthful, seek out the one called Fulcrum.”

“You’re just letting me go?!” The boy stood there, slack jawed. He obviously had to work on his self preservation instincts.

“Unless you would prefer me to kill you?” Anakin asked, stepping forward. Immediately the boy’s hands shot up and he started inching away.

“No no! I’m perfectly fine with leaving!” Jarrus’ voice was breaking more and more every second. He stepped again, and again, never turning his back as he backed out of the cantina. Soon there was a wall between Jedi and Sith, and the youngling ran off.

If he could, Anakin would have let out a sigh. He took a large risk there. If the boy eventually gets caught by the Inquisitorius, there is an equal chance he will reveal this incident or keep it secret to curry favor. Still, the Force did not warn him against such things. He wasn’t sure if perhaps there was no danger, or if the Force was simply unwilling to warn him due to his past transgressions. Either way, the only direction to go was forward.

Flipping his comm back on, he was immediately met by several missed messages from Tarkin. Of course.

“Yes Moff, where do you need me?” Anakin drawled.

“Vader! Where have you been?” Tarkin demanded.

“My comm was damaged during a fight. It has only now come back up.”

An unbelieving huff came through the speaker. “We will discuss that later. The eve of our victory is upon us, Vader. Only the enemy’s final stronghold remains. I need you to break their front line. Your support is standing by. Sending information now.”

A set of coordinates and information flashed onto Vader’s heads up display. One of the few perks of the suit was that he had information at hand whenever he wanted, and could easily review it if needed. What he saw enraged him. A veritable fortress, complete with turrets, tanks, ray shields, and basically anything one could think of when it came to defensive armament.

It wasn’t surprising. This was the last holdout in the Western Reaches. Of course the stronghold would be the greatest in the area.

Upon arrival he was met by the general that Tarkin had chosen to lead his armies. Wearing a basic officer’s uniform, breastplate, and blast helmet, he looked quite underdressed for front line combat, but his successes left little to be desired.

“General,” Anakin greeted. The officer stiffened slightly at the presence of the Emperor’s right hand. Vader’s humiliation has travelled quickly among the high ranks of the Imperial military. Some had used the opportunity to passive aggressively ridicule the Sith, but others were smart enough not to build a debt of ire.

“Lord Vader,” the general said, giving a stiff bow. “All units are in position and are ready for you to spearhead the assault.”

Anakin put his hand up, eyeing the compliment surrounding him. “I wish to familiarize myself with the plan before I commit.” Something felt wrong about this.

“Of course, sir,” the general said. He led the Sith over to a portable holotable within the forward camp, and began to explain as a simulacrum displayed what they intended.

“The enemy is fortified within the planet’s capitol building. They have a localized shield preventing vehicle entry and orbital bombardment. Within are approximately two thousand soldiers and battle droids, along with several dozen auto turrets and vehicle support. Charging the line with infantry only will only result in failure without air or armor support.”

“And Tarkin wishes to capture the building, not destroy the city from stray turbolaser fire,” Anakin mused. “Unlike him.”

“Yes, milord,” the general said. “I will admit it is somewhat out of character for him, but…”

The holo emitter sparked, and then imploded as Anakin’s rage lashed out at the device. The general flinched, but said nothing in response. Tarkin’s plan was transparent. Either Vader would refuse to go in, thus implying that he was a coward or had a limit to his ability, or he would die. This was a power play, pure and simple.

_ Court politics _ , Anakin thought to himself.  _ Something I’ll have to get used to. _ His master had told him early on in his apprenticeship that he would never be without enemies as long as he had successes.

“Milord,” the general said with a hint of nervousness. “What do you intend?”

“I will assault the base, General,” Anakin said. “Alone.”

The general looked at the Sith like he had just declared himself Emperor of the Empire. “ _ Alone? _ Milord, I trust in your abilities, but-” He was cut off by a hand in his face.

“Your concern is noted, General. Tell your troops to stand down.” Anakin turned and began to walk away. Behind him, the officer only stared as a single man chose to, in his eyes, effectively commit suicide.

Anakin grit his teeth as he left the encampment. Tarkin would pay for this dearly, and in more ways than one. Not only would the Moff not receive the satisfaction of Vader’s death or disgrace, but he would not be receiving as much praise for this victory as he wished. No, this would be the beginning of Wilhuff Tarkin’s decline.

** _The master’s lackey will suffer_ ** _ ,  _ the Force whispered in his ear.

Anakin smirked slightly, but it faded quickly in slight confusion. The Force had never spoken to him in such a way since he turned to the dark side. At first he believed it was simply because the dark side did not allow for such things, but now he was not so sure. The Force now felt similar to how it did as a Jedi, a companion or friend, rather than a servant or slave.

He stopped at a corner, nearing the no man’s land around the capitol building. His master’s teachings clashed greatly with what he was doing, and yet none of it felt wrong. He did not find a lack of power at his call. If anything, he felt possibly even stronger, as he did not have to fight the Force for his strength.

_ The Force can bite back _ , the Emperor had told him. The words rang true in Anakin’s mind, though he doubted it was the same way his master intended. The apprentice knew all too well how a beaten slave will eventually break, but those with the strongest spirits will slit the master’s throat as soon as they are able. As Anakin stood there in contemplation, he saw no difference between a physical slave and the Force. Treat it well and it will follow you into Chaos. Abuse it, and it will serve, but only as far as it needed.

He called his lightsaber to his hand, his eyes lingering on the weapon. Within was a kyber crystal, broken and enslaved. It obeyed him, but only because it had to.

It sickened him. Something would have to be done, but discarding the gem in favor of another would only raise his master’s suspicions. It would have to stay, for now. Experimentation would have to be done. Perhaps it could be bonded to him as Ahsoka did to hers. Maybe there was a way, but it would have to wait.

He lit the blade and prepared himself. There were rebels to kill.

===

The bridge of the  _ Executrix _ was quiet, save for the occasional murmur or spoken word necessary for the proper functioning of a military vessel. Commands were given out, interpreted, and executed without delay.

It was order. Exactly as Moff Wilhuff Tarkin desired.

Tarkin stared out the front viewport of his bridge, somewhat irritated. The Emperor had given Darth Vader to him after some failure or slight had caused him order punishment. Tarkin had expected something was amiss when he and several other high ranking officers had been ordered to wait outside the Emperor’s throne room. Specifically  _ after _ a certain Ahsoka Tano had been escorted in.

What the spectators had seen shortly after they had gathered was...unexpected. Darth Vader’s punishment was brutal, his limbs cut off by what was obviously a lightsaber. While obviously prosthetic, all of them, the loss was still severe. Still, it paled in comparison to the humiliation brought. Tano had been ordered to carry the crippled man out of the throne room and palace. Some whispered that the newcomer had defeated Vader in combat, but Tarkin new better. He studied Tano during her trial, and while he found her skills considerable, she was nothing compared to Vader.

Or as Tarkin secretly knew, Anakin Skywalker. Very few suspected, and fewer still knew the truth, but the Moff was extremely intelligent. Skywalker’s suit and mask hid him well, as did his behavioral changes. But the small things, his tells, word choice, and fighting style? It was all Skywalker.

When he saw Tano carrying the man out, he knew that it was a punishment for her as well, to parade her friend around. She knew who she was carrying, the absolute fury on her face was something reserved for attacks against the person or those close to them. She had done something to displease the Emperor as well, but for now the nature of it eluded Tarkin. What was more interesting was that she seemed to have pledged herself to the Empire, despite her previous Jedi ties.

Ties she severed once, and then burned to ash, if his analysis was correct. Tarkin had discussed the Jedi Order with his Jedi Generals, and through them he learned much. For example, the belief that anger and hatred were some manner of enslaving power that altered the mind of its users. The Moff wouldn’t pretend to understand it, but there was perhaps something to what the Jedi said. Skywalker was certainly different, and while Tano had been away for some time, she seemed to have changed as well. He would have to study her more when he could.

Later, though. Now, he had a battle to win.

With a quiet, irritated sigh, Tarkin turned from the viewport and walked over to the command table. With the press of a button, he commed his ground forces. Vader had been more or less obedient through the entire operation, but his obviously false comm malfunction earlier was a sign that he had put up with the Moff’s orders for as long as he could.

And a soldier that didn’t obey his superiors was one that was executed. The Emperor had Tano now. If he wanted one of the mystics at his side, Tarkin presumed that one younger and lacking a need for a life support suit would be suitable. With her lower power, she would also be easier to control.

“General Rindis, report,” Tarkin ordered, only to be met with static. “Rindis?” He looked at the comm officer, who immediately checked diagnostics on the systems.

“The comm is functioning perfectly, sir,” the officer replied. “Whatever is wrong is on the ground.”

“Hmm,” Tarkin grumbled. There was still fighting on the ground, the last pockets of resistance having been stubborn and somewhat impressively resilient. It was possible that interference from the fighting was causing the issue, but he doubted it.

Suddenly, the comm crackled to life.

“...kin, th...Rindis. Do...ead?” Through the interference, Tarkin immediately recognized the general’s voice.

“This is Tarkin, Rindis. You are breaking up badly. Standby.” He ordered his comm officer to boost the signal. Rindis wasn’t completely cleared up, but he was understandable.

“How is this, Moff?”

“Clear enough, General. Report. Has Lord Vader arrived yet?”

“Yes, sir. He arrived about twenty minutes ago, and then left,” the general reported.

“Why has the attack not begun?” Tarkin asked sternly.

“Apologies, sir. I misspoke. The battle has already been won.”

“I see,” Tarkin said evenly and with a thin smile. “I take it there was no notification due to a comm malfunction?”

The general nodded on his end, but without a holo image the Moff did not see it. “Yes, sir. Lord Vader...destroyed...the previous communicator. The backups were nonfunctional. Parts were missing. We only just managed to fix one of them.”

Tarkin closed his eyes to hide their roll. It looked like he had a thief to locate, and a general to discipline about having his equipment checked. “I’ll worry about that later. Report on the battle.”

“Aye, sir. The Separatist stronghold has been captured. No casualties. No enemy survivors.”

Tarkin’s eyes widened for a split second. “No casualties?” he asked.

“Affirmative. Lord Vader opted to attack the base alone. When we heard the blasterfire and explosions, we thought that was a signal to attack, but the shield was the last thing to fall. It seemed that he didn’t wish to be disturbed...sir.”

Tarkin nodded. “I see. What is Vader’s status?”

“Injured, but not badly,” the general reported. “He is enroute back to the  _ Executrix _ now.”

The Moff did not cringe due to his sudden concern. Vader may have seen through his plan, but he was still safe. The Emperor had ordered the man to stay his hand, at least for now. Tarkin had learned from this encounter. Mere soldiers would not be enough to destroy Vader, should the Moff need to destroy the man. Ships were needed, it seemed. For now, he would keep his distance and allow Vader to cool off. It would not pay to have the man still furious with him when he was given his leeway to execute once again.

A few years should do it.

“Very good, General,” Tarkin said. “Begin mop-up operations.”   
“Aye, sir,” the general said before cutting the comm.

Beside him, the turbolift doors opened, and Vader’s raspy breathing filled the area. Tarkin deliberately did not look at the man, but he felt the Lord’s eyes on him. After a moment, he ended the information he was pretending to look at, and spared Vader a glance.

“Lord Vader, I hear we have you to thank for capturing the last bastion,” he said. “Well done.”

Vader said nothing, simply staring at the Moff for a short while before turning back into the turbolift. Tarkin wasn’t stupid. He could see what the gesture was. A threat. A boast. Saber rattling. He had seen the Moff’s play and bested it. The officer wouldn’t belittle the man for succeeding so completely. It was simply the way of things in the Imperial system.

Vader may have won the battle, but Tarkin had won the operation, and in the future, he would win the war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "sanctuary" Anakin finds himself in was taken from the new series of Darth Vader comics.  
No, Kanan did not meet Vader here in canon. If he did, he would be dead. Vader never participated in the Western Reaches Operation in canon as far as I'm aware.  
This is the last of Kanan we will see in a long, long time. We might come back to him when Gorse happens.  
I'd like to reiterate that this is not a redemption fic. At most we are going to see some dark grey Anakin and Ahsoka.


	5. Partners

**Imperial Palace, Imperial Center**

The Imperial Palace had not changed in the almost year he had been gone. Same structure, same people, same...memories. The Force still bled openly here as a result of his actions during the end of the war. Anakin’s master fed upon it, the Inquisitorius fed upon it, and up until recently, so did he. He supposed it was his recent decision of changing how he commanded the Force, but he still wasn’t sure. He was in unknown territory here. Ever since he could remember, he had someone to help him in a capacity.

His mother was the first. Always shielding him from the worst the world had to offer a young boy. Always showing kindness, even when angered. She taught him how to hide. How to be unassuming. How to obey the masters without feeling dead inside. She was one of the greatest women to have existed, only for the universe to snap that such a thing could never last. Shmi Skywalker never deserved to be captured by savages. Never deserved to be torn from her family, the man who freed and loved her, and then tortured for the sake of it. Never deserved for her son to be such a failure that he could not do something a simple as save a life. The Jedi healers could have saved her, but _ no _ . He chose to be a fighter, to focus on his swordplay, neglecting so many aspects of the Force. He naturally took the basic courses on healing, but he was so distraught and unbalanced by the sight of his mother slipping away, everything fled from his mind as he haphazardly tried to wrap the Force around her without any purpose. If only he had been _ stronger _, perhaps not in pure power as he wished at the time, but strength in controlling himself, she could still be alive today.

For a short while there was Qui-Gon, and then..._ Kenobi _. The man may have taught him, guided his Jedi training, but he always held Anakin back. Kenobi was afraid of what Anakin might become. He was envious. Always quickly falling behind the Chosen One in nearly any skill he dared teach the boy. Anakin had grown past that, eventually. He recognized it all as the petulant anger of a child that wasn’t getting what he wanted. In his memories, there was plenty of good times to be possibly relived. He would sometimes let them play, only to allow the betrayal and hatred burn that much hotter. Jedi hypocrites, all of them, and Kenobi was no different. The Council betrayed his Padawan, then they betrayed the Republic, and they betrayed Anakin. For all the preaching of being morally justified and serving the good of the galaxy, they certainly had a questionable way of doing so.

_ You were my brother Anakin! I loved you! _

Lies. All lies. He took the memory for what it was and fed upon it, using it to stoke the flames of his hatred. The Jedi’s words said love, but his actions were different. If he truly loved Anakin, he would have killed him rather than watch as he burned.

Then there was Palpatine. The Chancellor. The Emperor. All were the same man, and all were guilty of the same thing. Using him. Manipulating him. Palpatine’s reassurances, his promises, his kindly words and validations, all were just empty words designed to entrap Anakin. When the Jedi was finally at his worst moment, the Sith pounced. Another betrayal. His so called knowledge to save others from death probably didn’t even exist. Even if it did, the Emperor would have only used Padmé’s existence as leverage against Anakin, to ensure he did as he was bid.

Just as he was doing now, with the last person in existence Anakin truly cared about.

Ahsoka. His Padawan. His short lived apprentice. His partner. There was not a single time she had ever shown any disloyalty to Anakin. Not once did she lie or conspire against him. They were inseparable, until Offee tore them apart with her lies and deceit. The Jedi Council did nothing but nod their heads as the Senate demanded Ahsoka be expelled for a sham trial. Tarkin...Tarkin would pay dearly. Anakin would give the man to her as a plaything, if he survived. The Council was all dead, save for three, but all of them were in hiding. Palpatine was going to die anyway, and Anakin didn’t know if he had a direct hand in her trial, or if it was just a convenient happenstance he took advantage of.

She never betrayed him. She left, yes, but he understood. More than anyone else, he understood. He understood the betrayals the Jedi had dealt to him and her. The Council said that she allowed her emotions to cloud her judgement when she left, but they were wrong. All of them were wrong. She was strong. Stronger than all of them. Refusing to bow and be a good little Padawan showed her strength. It was Anakin that was weak. He was afraid. Afraid of what would happen should he leave like she did. Afraid of living without a guide. Alone.

For awhile he was alone. Having decided that his wife’s life was more valuable than that of the Jedi, he chose the one over the many, and then lost the one anyway. He killed them. He killed them all. All except one, and she came back to him. She was disgusted, and angry, and broken, but in the end she _ saw _, and she came back to him. She forgave him. She understood him. All they had left was each other.

He would never,_ ever _ let her go. Not again.

===

Sith training was a curious thing. More a power dynamic than a master/teacher relationship, the journey of a Sith Master and Apprentice was less of a journey and more of a constant struggle. Ever since Darth Bane destroyed the Sith and remade it, it was the apprentice’s job to learn everything they could from the master before killing them. This ensured that every successive generation of Sith would only be stronger, not weaker. Darth Sidious was the product of one thousand years of such actions, and it showed.

The man was cunning, steeped in darkness, and a veritable genius. Born and created to conquer the galaxy, but perhaps not to rule it. Still, one thing he could do well is teach. He knew that to successfully train an apprentice, one must take it slow. Give the apprentice too much, and they get complacent. Give too little, and they will abandon the master. Moreover, either mistake will result in the master being betrayed. The first example results in the master’s death, as they pass on enough power and knowledge for the apprentice to kill them. The second results almost always in the apprentice’s death, as they are driven to revenge on the being that promised them power, but gave them nothing.

Darth Sidious’ plan would toe the line with the second. He planned to give Vader and Venatrix just enough to get by. The master intended to live forever, and it wouldn’t pay to have one apprentice with the power to defeat him, let alone two. He was not stupid. He knew that his threats to them would only delay their inevitable betrayal. The two were impossible to truly separate forever. Unless he managed to completely shackle one or the other and pull them to heel, they would one day turn on him. For now however, Vader was a useful tool to help enforce his will, and Venatrix...there was something about her. Something in the Force that was unknown to Sidious, and he refused to let that sit forever.

Still, he had time. Venatrix was just stepping into adulthood, young and seeking guidance. She had an unusual amount of patience, taking her studies slow and careful. So very unlike her former master. With time, he would learn exactly what was so special about her. For now though, she needed to be brought up to speed.

“_ Pathetic _, Apprentice,” Sidious growled. The two of them were hidden away in one of the lower levels of the palace, restricted from all normal personnel. Once an old training salle for Jedi, what now took place there was much, much more brutal.

Ahsoka had no time to respond before the man began attacking again, twin ribbons of red light slamming into her defenses, if her struggling could even be called as such. She might have been offered knighthood by the Council, but she only had just two and a half years experience as a Padawan. With that came a lack of experience in nearly all fields. Her fall increased her power, made her abilities against the weak and untrained even more dangerous. The akul that attacked the village on Shili was easy prey, but against a Sith Master, Ahsoka was barely even an insect.

Seven seconds passed this time before her master gleefully buried his saber into her chest. It was, perhaps thankfully, turned down as to not kill her, but her flesh still burned heavily. Her breathing slowed as her chest seized from the pain. It was as if all the ribs on one side had been shattered into pieces, and any movement whatsoever sent waves of pain through her body. Sidious let it sit there for a moment as she grit her teeth, smiling at her suffering. When he simply started laughing, she glared at the man, her hatred rising as she amateurishly channeled her pain into power.

With a shout she managed to finally force her arm to function, swinging at the man’s unprotected flank with her full powered weapon. By the time the blade made it to him, however, he was already gone, the shadow having rushed black in a blur. A growling shout erupted from her mouth as she glared, frustration rising more and more as she gasped, doubled over from the burn.

“Very good,” Sidious purred. “If you are ever faced with an enemy you can’t hope to defeat without death, force them to share your fate. You are learning, but your constitution leaves much to be desired. Vader began the lesson of turning pain into power, something he is quite familiar with. I will finish it.”

The Force rumbled in warning only milliseconds before her vision whited out, and her body was wracked with familiar buzzing pain. When it faded, she found herself on her hands and knees at the master’s feet, her breathing- no, _ everything _ hurt. Her body was covered with lightsaber burns, both internal and external. The sweat on her body had evaporated, and her clothes were smoking slightly as the Emperor’s cruel Force lightning left her.

“You know better than this, Venatrix,” he growled. “Now get up and fight.” His hands lashed forward, blasting her once again. To her credit, she had stopped screaming by this point, her pain announced with a yelp that was quickly suppressed with relatively more dignified grunts. When the pain refused to stop, she knew that something had to be done. Baring her teeth, she forced her body to obey her, looking up at the source of the violet light being thrust upon her. She let her rage fill to the brim before channeling it, the pain slowly becoming more and more distant. She could still feel it and the damage her body was taking, but much like her lessons on detaching herself from her emotions, it gained less and less power over her.

Like an animal she growled, pushing off the ground, bringing one leg up, then another, slowly forcing her body to stand. Her hand was wrapped around her lightsaber as if it were a lifeline, and she very quickly realized that it was. Bringing the blade in front of her, she gasped as it finally caught the torrent of electricity being thrown at her. She only had one, her master decreeing that until she dealt with her reliance on a second blade, she would use only her primary weapon.

She only allowed a moment for her body to recover from the Force attack before starting to push forward. Or at least, she tried to. Somehow, the lightning was _ pushing her back _. Every time she lifted a foot to try and gain ground, the lack of friction and balance threatened to knock her right back down. The only thing she could do was stand there and block the electricity as she recovered. Her weapon did the work for her. Sidious had to expend energy. Eventually he would tire, right?

As if reading her thoughts, the master ceased the torrent, a pleased smile on his face.

“Very good, Venatrix. You are finally grasping the basics.” The smile promptly disappeared. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you still have yet to wield the Force _ properly _. You have the knowledge, but you refuse to put it to use. Why?”

Ahsoka groaned, stretching gently to unwind her forcibly tensed muscles. She would need a bacta injection after this. Soon. More important however was the conversation. She took a breath and looked the old man in the eye. She refused to be intimidated. “Well, frankly master, I think enslaving the Force is a bad idea in the long term.”

Sidious snorted, a smile creeping onto his face, but his eyes held only malice. “You think yourself wiser than seven thousand years worth of Sith, Venatrix? You think yourself wiser than _ me? _” It was a challenge, plain and simple. She knew she was a pup when it came to Sith teachings, but from what she had learned so far, it seemed like mistreating the thing that gave a Force wielder their power was a losing bet in the long run.

“I do. For this at least,” she said evenly. Her face was stoic and her emotions under control as he put her hands on her hips, but her heart was pounding in her chest. Fear danced around her, saying she should back down, but she dismissed it. If Sidious wanted her dead, she would already be dead.

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed as a sneer cut across his face. Ahsoka winced slightly as she felt him press at her mind, trying to get a feel for her, but she refused to back down. Slowly, the sneer shifted into an amused grin before a gnarled hand extended. She flinched only slightly, expecting a punishment for her insolence, but instead she shuddered happily as he ran a finger across her head, the addictive reward washing over her. It was short though, and within seconds it was gone.

“Yo do Skywalker credit, Tano. When he told me you were fearless, I didn’t expect him to mean to this degree. You want to ignore my teachings and forge your own path? As you wish. That is your right as Sith. However know this," he warned. "Any lack of power on your part is your fault. Failure is not tolerated, no matter the reason. If you succeed, you will be stronger for it. More powerful, in your own way. And your power…” He grinned hungrily. “Is my power.”

She relaxed, only to be hauled into the air by her neck, her throat squeezed just barely outside the range that would cut off her breath entirely. “That being said, don’t think I can’t smell the stink of the light on you. You will rid yourself of this weakness as soon as possible_ . _” He dropped her, and she fell to her hands and knees, hacking and coughing as she caught her breath. “This is not negotiable.”

“Why does it matter where my power comes from?” she asked. “There is nothing in the Sith Code that-” Her words were cut off as violet energy washed over her, but only for a moment. When it ended, she found herself pressed belly down on the ground, unable to overcome the Force keeping her there.

“Do I have your attention?” Sidious asked softly.

She nodded. “Yes, Master.”

“Good. Now listen to me carefully. There was once a Sith that thought as you did. Darth Gravid. I will spare you the details and get to the point. He tried to mix the light and dark, and the only thing he gained from it was insanity. Do you wish to go insane, Apprentice?”

Ahsoka glared at him, but did nothing more. “No, Master.”

“Then you will abandon this dead end immediately. Is that clear?”

She pressed her lips into a line. “Crystal.”

“Good.” He turned towards the door, his stance relaxing somewhat. “Ah, Lord Vader. I see you have returned from the Western Reaches. Excellent.”

Ahsoka pried herself off the floor, looking over at the entrance. Her heart pulled slightly when she saw Anakin, but she remained still. It would do neither of them any favors to rush to the man like she wanted. Instead she remained silent, only giving her friend a slight smile when he looked at her.

Anakin dropped to a knee as the Emperor approached, just as he always did. “Yes, my master. The Separatists there have been broken. Very little remains, and they are leaderless and without refuge.”

“Excellent,” the Emperor said. “However I expected Moff Tarkin to report, as _ he _ was the one I assigned to this task.”

“The Moff was injured prior to our arrival,” Vader said.

The Emperor was silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on the armored man. Both of them stood still, with the respirator being the only thing audible.

“Explain,” Sidious softly demanded.

“A console he was using exploded,” Anakin explained. “He has suffered several burns, but he is expected to survive. Technicians believe that it was a power surge of inopportune timing.”

The Emperor’s frown barely pulled into a smirk. “How unfortunate. It seems Tarkin chose poorly when it comes to how he motivates his subordinates.” He let out a bored sigh. “Alas, it can’t be helped. The reports I received have shown me that you were quite the force of nature. I am tempted to assign you to another theatre but...you are needed elsewhere. The Jedi threat still remains. Rise.”

As Anakin did so, the Emperor wordlessly walked out of the room and into the corridor. Both of the apprentices knew to follow, taking up positions behind him. With the Emperor’s back turned, Ahsoka snuck in a quick touch to Anakin’s arm. Nothing major, just a fast and quiet show of affection. Anakin reacted only with a slight tilt of the head, his smirk hidden behind the mask.

“Skywalker taught you well, Venatrix,” Sidious began. “Your power eclipses the pathetic Padawan you used to be. Still yet, you have much to learn. Most of the Jedi that remain will destroy you, should you confront them alone. Lord Vader, you will rectify this problem.”

Both of the apprentices looked at him curiously.

“The thoughts of both of you are transparent. You are confused, considering what happened the last time you were together. Allow me to ease your concerns.” He stopped, and slowly turned, sticking a gnarled finger at them. “I am not blind to your thoughts to eventually overthrow me. Do not fool yourselves into thinking that you will ever earn my trust.” 

Both of the apprentices turned and looked at each other, but said nothing.

“With that in mind, I find it useless to forbid you two from conspiring against me. So be my guest. Plot. Plan. I will find every attempt and destroy it, or turn it to my own ends. I welcome whatever challenge you bring against me.” A cruel and amused grin pulled at his lips as both of the younglings looked at him in bewilderment.

“What’s the catch?” Ahsoka said, crossing her arms.

“It’s quite simple,” Sidious said, his grin growing into a smile. “If I see you two to be a true threat, you will both die.”

“Why would you allow this?” Anakin asked. “Why not destroy us now?” Ahsoka frowned at him for suggesting such a thing, a hand resting on her lightsaber.

The Emperor let out a low chuckle. “You don’t expect me to just answer that question, do you Vader? Figure it out yourselves. For now, your task is to get her up to speed. I want her to be able to defeat the entire Inquisitorius at once. Venatrix, you will assist Vader in hunting down the remaining Jedi. You will _ personally _ kill two Jedi and take their kyber crystals.”

Ahsoka frowned. “If I must.”

Sidious scowled. “Do you have a problem with hunting down your former brethren, Venatrix?”

She returned a glare. “No. I just think that bleeding crystals goes against how I want to wield the Force.” The Dark Lord’s eyes flicked to Anakin for a moment, and she swore there was a hint of disappointment in them. His gaze resettled on the Togruta, and when she saw the cruel smile that reappeared, she wondered just what she had gotten herself into.

“Very well, Venatrix,” Sidious said. “I will offer you knowledge of an...alternative solution. However, the price remains. Two kyber crystals.”

Ahsoka gave the robed man a bow. “Thank you, Master.” Inwardly though, she wasn’t sure what the man had in mind. He wasn’t one to just cave to the whims of someone beneath him unless it either suited his interests or...perhaps the solution she desired was much harder. A chill went up her spine as her turned and left, leaving the two apprentices standing in the hallway. They remained there in silence as they listened to the Emperor’s bootsteps grow quieter and quieter, and finally they disappeared.

Anakin flinched slightly when he felt Ahsoka take his hand. Sith didn’t _ flinch _ at anything, but the sudden gentle contact was enough to startle him. The suit unified his body and mind, blurring the line between machine and man. It suppressed the constant pain he was in, and gave him vague tactile sense through his prosthetics.

They had never felt such gentleness before.

He looked down at her, her eyes filled with pain and relief as she took him in. Then, without warning, she pressed into him with a hug. Anakin didn’t know what to do. His mind first wondered why she would dare to do this in public but...they were alone. No one ever came down to the level where Darth Vader trained. No one but the Emperor.

She squeezed him tighter, the sensation of being touched dulled by the thick padding of the body glove protecting his scarred skin from the open air. Despite this, it awakened a very old, forgotten need within him. Contact with another person. He hadn’t had any since his wife died. Nothing but the cold, unfeeling arms and manipulators of the medical droids that kept him alive.

Before he could stop himself, he threw his own arms around her, pulling her tight. All at once the pain he had been holding back ever since Ahsoka left the Jedi came spilling forth. He didn’t cry. He couldn’t, for his tear ducts were destroyed by fire. He didn’t sniffle, his nose scarred by the very same. What did come out was a series of unintelligible noises through his vocoder. It was enough though, and Ahsoka just hugged him tighter.

They hadn’t done this when they first reunited. Anakin had jumped straight into training her, and there was no room for love or this kind of pain when teaching the dark side. Now though? They were safe. They had time. In a relative sense, at least.

“I missed you,” she said, pressing her face in. His suit smelled of war and death, but she didn’t care.

“I fought as hard as I could to get back here,” he replied. “I’m...sorry. I should have been faster.”

Ahsoka huffed a laugh. She doubted that anyone had heard Vader utter the words ‘I’m sorry’ before, but the simple act was enough to water her eyes. Anakin..._ her _ Anakin, was still alive. “You’re alive, that’s all I care about,” she said.

They stood there for awhile, just enjoying the moment. Everything must end, though, and slowly they pried themselves from each other.

“We can’t do this in public,” Anakin said.

Ahsoka sniffed. “I know, I just...had to do it. I found you again, and then you were gone.”

Anakin tried to say something, but everything he thought of sounded corny or inappropriate. Instead he just remained silent, hoping his body language was enough. “We should go. Our master does not tolerate idleness.”

The Togruta sighed sadly. “Yeah, I figured that out. I’ll need to stop and get my burns treated, though.”

“I have a medbay down here for more minor injuries,” the cyborg said. “We can do it there.”

It took no time at all for them to arrive. Anakin immediately ordered the medical droids to tend to her, and with their robotic efficiency they set about treating her wounds.

“What’s with the bacta tank?” she asked. “I thought you said this place was for small stuff?”

“If my schedule is clear, I meditate within the tank,” he said. “My injuries are permanent, but I am slowly recovering the worst of them. The dark side makes it difficult.”

“What about Force healing?” she asked.

“The dark side’s ability to heal is...limited,” he said. “If I focus my rage, I can keep myself alive even without the suit, but it’s temporary.”

“Why not just use the light?” She got silence for her question, and she turned her head to find Anakin just staring at her. “What?”

“We are Sith,” he said simply.

She waited for him to continue, and when he did not, she cocked a brow. “And?”

“The light side is the way of the Jedi.”

“There is nothing in the Sith Code that says that light is forbidden,” she said. “Believe me, I’ve checked. Those books Palpatine gave me were very informative.”

Anakin stepped forward in interest. “He has given you books to read?”

“Yes?” She frowned. “Did he not-”

“No,” he growled. His hands clenched into tight fists, and he began pacing back and forth. “He has not seen fit to allow me anything of substance, yet.”

Ahsoka frowned. Palpatine had been hoarding knowledge, obviously. “They’re still on my ship. I’ll give them to you. Can you read Sith?”

Anakin growled again. “No.”

“Then I will teach you.”

His head snapped to her for a moment before he looked away. “I don’t deserve you,” he managed to say quietly.

“Hey-” She cut herself off, getting up and grabbing his hand. “None of that.”

“It is true,” he continued. “I betrayed everyone for Padmé, and when she came to me and asked me to go away with her, I could only think of myself. I killed her. I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve anything.”

Ahsoka shushed him gently, leaning on him lightly. “That isn’t true.”

“Why?”

“Anakin...” she cringed, not knowing what to say. When Anakin looked away and started to walk away, she swallowed her uncertainty and started talking. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care. Even if the Force itself told me to stay away, I wouldn’t. _ Nothing _ will stand between us again.” She took a deep breath. “I won’t leave you. Not this time.”

They stared at each other for a moment, the words seeming to echo through the Force.

“Thank you,” Anakin finally said. A weight suddenly fell off of him, and for the first time in a long while, he felt as if perhaps he could find happiness once again. It would be a long and difficult journey, but with her by his side, he was willing to walk it.

She sat back down on the table, letting the droids resume their work. “So yeah. Light side. Palpatine said trying to do that would drive me insane but...I’m not sure why.”

“He is afraid,” Anakin stated.

“I don’t think he’s capable of feeling fear,” she said.

“Then he is _ concerned _ for his own power. If you are able to practice the light even while turned, it is something he will be incapable of doing.”

“Because he was never a Jedi, it would be power he isn’t capable of wielding,” she said with a smirk. “Sounds like something we should look into. Do you think you can still reach for the light?”

Anakin tilted his head. At the edge of his perception, he felt it. The warm and soothing power of the light side of the Force. Tentatively he reached for it…

“Don’t!” she warned. “We don’t want to let him know.”

Anakin grit his teeth, but did as she suggested. “That is probably wise. He could sense it on you?” She nodded. “We will need to mask it then, somehow. Meditation on the dark side may work.”

“How do you know?” Her curiosity was genuine, but the question still speared him. The incident in question, he didn’t regret it, but his lack of control was still something he was ashamed of. He looked to the side for a moment, but decided that keeping this from her would be disrespectful after she effectively pledged her life to him just moments ago.

“Shortly before the Clone Wars broke out, I returned to my homeworld. It was there I found out my mother had been captured by savages. I went to rescue her, and she died in my arms. I...lost control, and killed them all. I nearly fell completely that day.”

Ahsoka bit her lip. What-could-have-beens flashed through her mind as a wave of unstoppable jealousy washed over her. She imagined a world where they never met as friends, and that was completely unacceptable. She watched her hands tremble for a moment as she fought to reign it in, and finally succeeded. “So you meditated to keep your darkness hidden?”

“Yes,” he said. “You know I was never one for sitting on the floor. Moving meditation was the only thing that worked.”

“Meditation it is, then,” she said. “Now we just need someone to teach us how to heal.”

Anakin waved a hand at her dismissively. “I sincerely doubt any Jedi of skill would be willing to put their lightsaber away, let alone teach us.”

Ahsoka bit her lip for a moment. She knew how angry Anakin was about her framing and trial, and as a Sith, it wouldn’t have gotten any better. Still, if anyone would be willing to do this, it would be her old friend. “Is Barriss still alive?” she asked.

The Force immediately twisted as Anakin’s hatred burst forth, and he stilled. “Why is her fate relevant?” he growled.

“She was a healer,” she said evenly. “She can teach us.”

“If you think I’m going to let her anywhere near you-”

“So she’s alive then?” Ahsoka interrupted. She calmly watched as Anakin’s hands curled into fists over and over. To him, his friend’s question was ludicrous. Offee had already betrayed her once, and he would not allow her to do so again.

Anakin’s words were slow and forced. “The Third Sister is alive, yes.”

Ahsoka’s face brightened, her old memories of friendship mixing oddly with the hunger she had suppressed weeks ago. “Inquisitor.” She scoffed. “I should have known. Lets go talk with her.”

“You can not seriously expect me to trust her!” he said, stepping forward.

The Togruta rolled her eyes. “Of course not, I won’t either. She’s betrayed me once already. Still…” She looked over at a wall as she thought. One of the droids finally chimed that her treatment was complete, and she looked at her rapidly healing burns with satisfaction. “I’m not sure. I don’t want to discount her entirely. I want to at least try to get her with us as an ally. We used to be friends, we might be able to do it again.”

“I will _ never _ forgive her for what she did to you,” he snarled. “The only reason she is alive is because the Emperor forbids me from killing the Inquisitors without reason.”

“Fine then.” She shrugged. “Don’t forgive her, but I’m asking you to _ tolerate _ her. For me?” She tilted her head as she gave him a sweet pout, her hands in her lap. Anakin tensed slightly, the gesture reminding him of something...he wasn’t sure. It was so familiar…

He sighed, something growing a bit easier as he learned how to work with his respirator, rather than against it. “As you wish. What if she refuses to help you?”

A saccharine smile pulled at her lips. “Oh, she will help us, one way or another. You’re getting out of that suit. It’s not an option.”

“The Emperor will kill us the moment he feels threatened by us,” he warned.

“I’m sure we can fake something. One problem at a time, right? We _ have _ to heal you.”

He didn’t want to argue. He hated the suit. He hated the way it sounded. He hated all the old tech. He hated the weight of it. For awhile it helped. It was a mask that separated him from the rest of the world. It took care of his bodily needs so he could focus entirely on the Force. Now though? The claustrophobia had returned. It burned at the edges of his mind, and demanded he get out of it as soon as possible.

He agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darth Gravid is a real person in Legends. He actually did go insane as he tried to mix Jedi and Sith teachings. He ended up destroying a large chunk of Sith knowledge in his insanity before his apprentice killed him. In my mind, it wasn't the mixing of light and dark that did him in, but rather the insurmountable wave of guilt he suddenly felt over years of harming others. Ahsoka naturally has her own demons, as does Anakin, but they're still both children at being Sith. Their guilt would be less, and as they continue to harm others they can deal with it as it comes, rather than being crushed by the backlog.  
If any of you think that Ahsoka is too "mild" for a Sith, that the dark side should have more command over her, I point to Darth Vectivus. He is another Legends character. He did not allow the dark side to rule over him nor did he "do evil" simply by keeping to a personal code of ethics. Guy actually died in bed, surrounded by his friends and family.  
Look both of these characters up if you wish.  
As far as being able to access the light while fallen, I ask "why not?" Jedi can access the dark (however little it is) while still remaining light.  
Incoming Offee, naturally.


	6. Sister, Sister

**Inquisitorius Headquarters, Imperial Center**

Everyone sensed when Lord Vader approached the headquarters of the Inquisitorius. His presence in the Force was unmistakable. What was strange there was someone with him. Someone new. Someone dark. Someone _ Sith _. Someone that was not the Emperor. All of the Inquisitors present within the skyscraper tower tensed slightly upon feeling the presence of a potential new master approaching, but there was also confusion. As all the current members of the Inquisitorius were former Jedi, they were very aware of the Rule of Two. To the Sith, there could be only a master and an apprentice. To have a third meant that someone was hiding something, or the master was dead.

Since none of them had felt the Emperor’s death, they doubted it was the latter.

None of them stopped what they were doing when Lord Vader’s breathing became audible. The Dark Lord had made it very clear that he disliked sycophants who knelt merely because he was present, and preferred to watch them until they were called. So they did. Second Sister sat atop a mat in meditation, ever the loner. Fourth Brother and Sixth Sister sat at a table, conversing among themselves. The latter had taken Sixth Brother’s position after the fool’s death on some backwater farming moon. Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister, always rivals, faced off against each other in the sparring ring. Eighth Brother and Ninth Sister were off world on busywork. Tenth brother died over a year ago on Dac, victim of Force induced friendly fire. In his place was the new Tenth, a Cathar, off investigating some wild bantha chase of his. Off to the side, the First Brother, officially the Grand Inquisitor, studied reports from sightings across the galaxy.

Then there was the Third Sister, sitting off on the side, alone. Not by choice, but rather because she was an outcast. She was the traitor, the bomber, the one who fell first. The other former Jedi never forgave her for what she did to their old family. The family they turned their backs on, but their family nonetheless. She was third, and always had been third. Early on, the others challenged her constantly for her position, hoping to beat the girl down and show her what they thought, but they always failed. The dark side had made them all powerful, but she had fallen first, and thus had the most experience controlling the power. She never rose above third, despite this. Second Sister was better with the Force, and First Brother beat them all at saberplay.

She wanted nothing more than to defeat them both. To become the new Grand Inquisitor. She would whip the lot of them into shape then. First Brother was nothing more than a pissy temple guard, and Second Sister was just...wrong. She hardly ever spoke, and when she did her words were strange and uncanny. With both of them ground under Third Sister’s heel, she could bring order and efficiency to them all.

For today though, she would have to deal with Vader and...whoever was with him. She looked up when he entered, but was much more interested in who was with him. A Togruta, female, average height, slender build, montrals were shorter than average and jutted outward rather than up. Early twenties, if Third was remembering her lessons right, which she always did. The Togruta wore a helm that covered the top of her head and montrals, and wore a smooth dome of a mask that was featureless. Her three lekku were protected by chains of interlocking plates. Her attire was not entirely unlike the armor the Inquisitorius wore. Black, tight fitting and likely blast resistant cloth was formed into a short skirted, long sleeved dress. Dark leggings covered her legs, and she wore gauntlets, shin guard boots, a protective kama of lightly armored plates, and a breastplate. A pair of curved, matte, metal grey lightsabers hung on the woman’s kama.

To the untrained eye, she would seem to be just another Inquisitor, but they all knew better. The armor was of higher quality, and lacked the Imperial logo on her shoulders. Her lightsabers were wrong. She carried herself smoothly and with the grace of a warrior, but there was more. It was as if she believed she owned the building and everything within it. Third agreed with her, because it was obvious. The Togruta was _ Sith _. Not just a common darksider pressed into the Empire’s service. Not like the Inquisitors. The Togruta felt different in the Force. Not entirely unlike Vader or the Emperor, but close enough. Not nearly to the power of Vader or the Emperor, but close enough. An apprentice.

Something else pulled at Third Sister. There was something familiar about this Togruta in the Force. Something fast paced and eager. A thought popped into Third’s head but...no. _ She _ was dead, killed by the clones on Mandalore. Third had checked the records once, just to be sure. She did _ not _ cry after that. No one could prove otherwise. She had her mask on at the time.

First greeted Vader and his...apprentice? Third could feel the confusion radiating off of everyone in the room. Except Second, the strange creep.

“All of you, form up!” First suddenly announced. Immediately and without complaint, every Inquisitor in the room shot up and assumed the regular formation for inspection. They had, for a long time now, become somewhat relaxed with Vader’s presence. The man was brutally demanding, but they had all passed his rigorous tests, and had lost only a few of their body parts in the process.

“Lord Vader has informed me that we have a new master,” First finished before stepping into line himself. “My lord?”

Vader stepped forward. The man was easily imposing even to the untrained eye. A monster of a man, his height, weight, countenance, and voice spoke of an impenetrable juggernaut that was impossible to knock down. His choice of apprentice was strange. She was small, relatively speaking. Lithe. She looked like someone you couldn’t hope to hit, or had the potential to become someone with the power.

“I have been away for some time at the Emperor’s will,” Vader began. “Believe me that whatever inadequacies that have taken root here _ will _ be burned away, if they are found.” He stuck his finger out at them. “Pray that I find none. However, that is not the purpose of this meeting.” He gestured to the Togruta. “This is Darth Venatrix. My partner.” All of the Inquisitors tensed slightly at the outright declaration. All of them wondered who the mystery woman was, though Third did not see a hint of confusion on First’s face.

He knew.

“Some of you already think to inform the Emperor of what you see as a betrayal. You believe the Rule of Two is broken and wish to use this information to propel your own status.” He pointed at the door. “You may leave if you wish. I will not stop you, though the Emperor will not take kindly to having his time wasted, as he is much less forgiving than _ me _.”

Not a single one of them moved, the unspoken implication hitting them all.

“Good. I will expect the Inquisitorius to perform _ my _ will to what I have come to expect of it. Should I learn that any of you have betrayed us, I will be most _ displeased _.” A collective shudder ran up some of their spines as they realized what had just happened. Third was one of these people smart enough to realize when they were being press ganged into something far over their heads. Defiance of the Emperor.

“However, loyalty will be rewarded,” Vader said, opening a hand towards them. “Remain with us, and I will grant you far more power than the Emperor would even consider. For now, your task is simple. Test my apprentice. _ No _ dismemberment or death.” He turned, looking at Venatrix. “On _ either _ side.”

“Understood, my lord,” Venatrix said. Her voice was, like many of the helmeted Inquisitors, vocoded to both hide her identity and to enhance the fear factor against those that knew nothing. Third thought that, underneath the distortions, she could hear something familiar but...no. She was simply hearing things. She was sure of it.

“Grand Inquisitor, I would speak with you,” Vader commanded as he turned and walked away. The Pau’an followed the Dark Lord towards the command center, a curious look on his face. The rest of the Inquisitors turned and looked at the Sith, sizing her up for the upcoming fights.

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got. We’ll start from the bottom.” As the remaining darksiders retreated from the sparring ring, Venatrix called only one weapon from her kama, and adjusted her blade power. Looking up, she spied the Eighth Brother, his weapon out and at the ready.

To the side, Third Sister crossed her arms. If this apprentice was anything like Vader, she would wipe the floor with all of them. Still, it paid to be on the lookout for weakness. Perhaps if one of them could defeat her, they could take her place. Third wanted the title of Grand Inquisitor, but _ now, _ now there was something far more valuable up for grabs.

Venatrix ignited her weapon, red as expected. What wasn’t expected was the fact that it was set on a low power state. Level two or three, enough sting to let the opponent know that they had been hit. Eighth followed suit, his weapon set to something still very high.

“Turn that down,” Venatrix commanded. “We’re here to test each other, not get sent to the medbay.” Eighth straightened slightly in surprise, but did as he was commanded, the bright white core of his weapon dulling to a solid color. Venatrix surprised everyone by assuming the neutral high guard salute common to Jedi spars. Eighth shared his surprise visibly, but did not dare speak against his master, and followed suit.

With a short flourish, the Sith swiped down and fell into a slight crouch, reversing the grip on her weapon into an Ataru stance.

_ Just like her _ , Third Sister thought to herself. _ But Ahsoka would never be a Sith, she was too nice for that. _

Eighth Brother made the first move, just as he was trained to do, sending a series of power strikes that the Sith easily dodged. When she finally did attack, she was _ fast _, using the Inquisitor’s clumsy swing as a stepping off point for a counter attack. Three seconds later, Eighth found himself stabbed in the gut before being thrown across the room. Not into a wall, though. He simply skidded to a stop near the edge of the ring. Whoever Venatrix was, she wasn’t some abuser. Not like Vader.

“Next,” the Sith said casually.

===

Vader and the Grand Inquisitor entered the command center, the Sith quickly sealing the door behind them.

“So we are conspiring against the Emperor now, my lord?” the Inquisitor asked.

Vader stepped to the console shut off the surveillance before moving on to something else. “Conspiracies are secret, Grand Inquisitor. He is very aware of our designs against him.”

The Pau’an stared at Vader for a moment. “My lord, forgive me, but have you lost your mind? He has the entire Imperial Military at his command, and moreover he is a _ Sith Master _. We are not a threat to him.”

Beneath the mask, Anakin rolled his eyes. “You are correct, Inquisitor. If we were a threat to him, Venatrix and I would not be alive. However there are things you do not understand. Allow me to explain them to you.”

He called up a list of the surviving Jedi and did a quick scroll through them. Most of them were nobodies, but they could have their uses. Instead he focused on the most powerful. The most successful.

“The way of the Sith is betrayal,” Vader said. “He understands this, and has accepted our challenge. He has made it quite clear that once he sees us as a threat, we will be killed. So the answer is simple. We will not appear to be a threat. This is not betrayal. This is simply the way Sith power dynamics function.”

“I see…” the Inquisitor said.

“You do not. Not yet. The second thing you should know is that he understands we are not traitors to the Empire. We are simply planning to rule it. On a certain level this is no different than politics. However instead of just words, we will use force and power to back our claims. This will be a game of dejarik, Grand Inquisitor. A very long game.”

“And we are the pawns, aren’t we?” the Pau’an asked. Vader turned his head and looked at the man for a moment, considering what to say. On a certain level, they were, but offering them nothing but death was a losing prospect. The Inquisitorius was one of the few assets they had, and to lose them this early would remove a great deal of their capital.

“You are until you choose not to be,” Vader said. “I did not lie. Your loyalty will be rewarded with power and knowledge.”

“The Emperor promised me the entire Jedi Archive,” the Inquisitor said. “Can you match that?”

Vader whirled on him. “A prize you threw away when you allowed your hatred of Jocasta Nu to blind you. The Jedi Archive is lost due to _ your _ actions, Inquisitor. Remember that.”

“Understood,” the darksider grit out.

“That being said, yes,” Vader said. “The Emperor does have a collection of holocrons within his vaults. You will be allowed to freely access any Jedi knowledge we come across.”

“What about of the Sith?” the Inquisitor asked. “If I am going to be fighting against the Emperor himself, I want more.”

Anakin turned his head, and narrowed his eyes. His immediate reaction was to spit out _ no _, but the Grand Inquisitor had his uses. Perhaps he could give the man some information to string him along before replacing him with someone more loyal. Perhaps if Ahsoka could gain Offee’s loyalty, she would be a better ally.

“Very well,” Vader said. “You will receive a share of the knowledge we will gain. In return, you will continue to serve as head of the Inquisitorius. You will find out those we can not trust and report them to me or Venatrix to be dealt with. You will also note that the Emperor may offer you the same thing, but know this: his promises are nothing but empty lies. He does not _ share _ power. He hoards it.”

“I see,” the Inquisitor said carefully. “Very well Master, what is your will?”

“For now, you will continue as usual. However, if any of your subordinates encounter Jedi, they are not to engage. Instead they are to withdraw and report their location to me or Venatrix.”

“May I know why? It is our job to eliminate the Jedi. I will need to tell them a reason.”

“Because that is my will. That is reason enough.” Vader stepped forward threateningly. “Or have you not learned that lesson yet?”

The Inquisitor bowed his head in submission. “Of course, my lord. Your will is my command.”

Vader turned and moved to leave. “Very good. Come, I believe my apprentice is almost done defeating your Inquisitors.”

===

Third Sister grit her teeth as she took to the ring. So far, Venatrix had handily defeated all of her brethren. It made sense, after all. Vader had taught them all to forego the defense and passivity they had learned as Jedi in favor of killing strikes. It made it very easy for the Sith to slip around their single mindedness and hit their flanks or sides.

Third would not be so easily defeated.

She had stood by and watched as all the others threw themselves at the apprentice. While they were fighting, she was learning, and she had learned a great deal. Firstly, the apprentice did not like her lightsaber. Whether it was due to the crystal or the hilt, Third didn’t know, but Venatrix was not used to it. She was not in tune with it. Bled crystals obeyed, but even then a darksider gained a form of relationship with it. What Venatrix had was very, very new.

The Sith’s fighting style was...strange. Third found elements of both Vader and the Emperor in it, as well as...despite her denials...Ahsoka’s. Venatrix still favored Ataru, but the power attacks of Djem So and rapid flurries of Juyo were plainly obvious.

Outright offense would lead to failure here, so when Third opened in Soresu, the defensive form, Venatrix tilted her head.

“So, you can learn,” the Sith said.

“Some of us do pay attention,” Third replied.

“Well, if you’re going to fight as hard as you can, I guess I will too.” Venatrix called her other weapon to bear and lit it, turning its power down. “Now, let’s try this again.”

Third’s spine went rigid as the dark side screamed at her to get away from the Sith. Around her the Inquisitors tensed, stepping back as their mistress made her intent clear. Moreover, her word choice was...telling. Third would know if she had fought this Sith before, but the way the Togruta’s words dripped with venom implied that the Mirialan had wronged her before. The Inquisitor’s yellow eyes shrunk to pinpricks behind her mask, and she suddenly had the feeling that she was about to have a very bad time.

Venatrix moved first, swatting at Third Sister with a light attack. It wasn’t meant to injure or break through any real defense. Just a tap to get her attention. As the Inquisitor swung back, the Sith jumped back, again and again, dancing out of her reach as she retaliated only with her light swipes. The dance continued for several seconds until Third realized that Venatrix was slowly circling her like a predator.

The Sith was _ playing with her _.

Third grit her teeth as her anger flared within her, and she dropped into an aggressive rush, swiping at the cocky Sith with reckless abandon. Venatrix may have been taught by Vader, but _ so was she _. The intoxicating nature of the dark side set her senses on fire as she led one attack into another. Cut into parry into stab, she had the Sith purely on the defensive. Perfect. It was exactly as was wanted. Exactly as Lord Vader had taught her. Just keep the Jedi from attacking, and victory was assured.

Except...Venatrix wasn’t a Jedi.

The Sith forced a bladelock, and before Third Sister could pull back from it, a fist slammed into her faceplate. The force of it knocked the Inquisitor back, leaving her wide open for a kick to the gut that sent her skidding across the ground. Immediately Third sprang back up, ignoring the pain and charging at the pitiful Togruta with a murderous yell. She couldn’t stop in time as Venatrix stepped to the side, pushing the Inquisitor with the Force into the wall.

Third jumped up again, charged, and got a stab to her leg. She tried again, and had her legs swept out from under her. Again, and a kick to the helmet sent it flying off.

That was when things got violent.

Third didn’t know what happened -_ yes she did- _ but when her face was exposed, Venatrix tensed, and the room’s temperature dropped ten degrees. Third Sister’s face was nothing but fear as the Sith approached, but there was no mercy for her. Venatrix quickly smashed through the Inquisitor’s defense with a strength she hadn’t displayed before jamming her offhand weapon into the woman’s leg and leaving it there.

Now limping, unable to remove the offending weapon at risk of losing her near useless defense, what followed was more of a beating as Venatrix methodically destroyed her. A punch to the face. A knee to the gut. A kick to the shin. Cuts and stabs and slashes with the training powered blade that, while didn’t damage, definitely added up as the light burns started to cover her body. They would go well with the future bruises and cracked bones as she was beaten.

In a desperate attempt to save herself, Third tried to throw a punch of her own using her metallic left hand, only for it to be caught and slowly crushed within Venatrix’s Force fueled grip. Shocked, Third didn’t pay attention as the Sith retrieved her weapon from the Inquisitor’s thigh and stuck it within the rotation rail of her lightsaber. She used it as a hook to tear it out of the Mirialan’s hand, throwing her victim away with the Force.

The Inquisitor only had a moment to recover before she felt a grip around her throat and was hauled into the air. The Sith let her struggle for a moment before slamming her into the ground, then the wall, and then the ceiling before finally letting her fall back onto the durasteel tiling. Prying herself back up, Third found herself yanked into the Sith’s armored hand, her neck being squeezed once again, but this time by flesh. The sound of a dial’s clicking adjustment was heard before a full powered blade was pointed at Third Sister’s face, just centimeters from her corrupted eyes. The audience tensed once again as their Sister was threatened with execution, but none of them dared to question their master’s will.

With some unseen switch, the metallic dome faceplate of Venatrix’s mask loosed, and spread out into three sections, retracting and resting to the sides of her face and forehead. Third Sister cringed when she saw a pair of red rimmed, golden eyes staring at her.

_ Ahsoka, no no no. _ Though there wasn’t concern for her friend’s fate on the forefront. There was simply terror and surety that she was about to die for her crimes.

Without looking at the rest of the Inquisitors, Ahsoka pointed her weapon at them. “Out, all of you,” she commanded before returning the blade to its threatening position. Without a word they did as they were bid, eager to remove themselves from the wrath of Darth Venatrix. When the door’s closure finally echoed through the room, Venatrix hauled her prey up and shoved her against a pillar.

“Hello Barriss,” she said softly. “It’s been awhile.”

“Ahsoka, I-” the Inquisitor started, only to yelp as the tip of the red blade was grazed against her chin.

Her voice was soft. “Shh… I am speaking. _ You _ are listening.”

Barriss nodded shallowly but rapidly as she bit her lip, wanting to convey her obedience without being touched by the hot plasma blade again.

Ahsoka’s voice was uncannily kind, hardly showing the pain the Sith felt as she spoke in accusation. “You betrayed me, Barriss. You framed me for murder. You let me take the fall for the bombing. You were ready to let the Republic execute me for all that. You got me kicked out of the Order.” She sighed softly. “And after all I did for you. We were _ friends _ , Barriss. I got us out of the Geonosian factory. I saved you from being a brain worm’s _ puppet _ . We fought side by side for _ months _, and you FRAMED ME FOR MURDER?!” she snarled, lips pulling back to show a set of wicked teeth. 

In the back of her mind, Barriss knew that was just biology, but she couldn’t help but see her old friend as some kind of demon. She whimpered, closing her eyes as she prepared to be stabbed or strangled or have her throat torn out, but it never came. Slowly she peeked out her eyelid, finding Ahsoka’s expression mildly amused. Slowly the weapon was lowered, and finally extinguished before being set in its resting place.

A giggle escaped the Sith lips before she leaned in, pressing the Mirialan against the pillar with her body, and bringing her right hand up to gently stroke at her friend’s face as her eyes reverted blue. “I’m not going to kill you, Barriss. We’re friends. And friends forgive.” She gave the green cheek a couple gentle pats before letting her go and stepping back, pacing back and forth not unlike Vader.

“I forgive you Barriss. What you did then?” She shrugged. “Water under the bridge. If anything you saved me. If I was still a Jedi, I would have probably been killed with the rest of them. So…” She gave an exaggerated bow. “Thanks.”

“R-really?” Barriss asked. “We’re...good?”

“Mmmhmm...you know, I could be inclined to reward you for that. After all, I’m Sith because of your actions.” She wagged her eyebrows for a moment, taking a suggestive pose. “If you think of something I can do to repay you, just ask.”

Barriss blushed, looking away. To Ahsoka’s disappointment, it seems that falling didn’t break her of being a prude. “I’ll uh...keep that in mind.”

“Good! Now come on,” Ahsoka said, grabbing Barriss’ hand. “We have something to discuss.” The chipper expression on the Togruta’s face fell as soon as she saw Anakin standing in a doorway with the Grand Inquisitor. Dragging her Inquisitor friend over there, her eyes narrowed as she pointed at the Pau’an.

“You will tell no one of what you saw or heard here,” she commanded.

The Pau’an grinned. “Of course, my lord.”

“My _ lady _,” Ahsoka corrected.

He huffed. “Of course, my _ lady _. My lips are sealed.” At his flippant tone, Anakin turned and stared at the man, instantly banishing his amusement.

“If you will excuse me, Masters, I have work to do,” the Grand Inquisitor said, quickly making his way out of the room. All three of them watched until he vacated the room before Anakin led them into the command chamber. Barriss was more or less dragged semi-willingly, her fear of the two Sith overpowering her desire to flee.

Once back in the room, the door was once more sealed, and with a simple entry of a security code the surveillance cameras were shut off again. Immediately Ahsoka’s hand let go of the one she was squeezing, only to wrap around the Mirialan’s waist and pull her close.

“What are you doing?” Anakin asked, incredulous as to her actions.

Ahsoka gave the woman a quick peck on the cheek. “Barriss belongs to me,” she said lightly, as if that explained it. Pressed beside her, the Inquisitor blushed and looked at her in nervous confusion. “Will he do it?” the Sith asked her partner.

Anakin took a moment to simply stare at the scene. He hated Offee with a passion, but her worst crimes were against his Padawan. If she wanted to take the Mirialan as a pet, it was her decision. “The Grand Inquisitor is motivated by greed,” Anakin said. “He will serve us for now, but eventually the Emperor will make an offer he won’t be able to ignore.”

“Hmm.” Ahsoka pressed her lips into a line. “Well, I guess this can’t go as easy as we hoped. Oh well. What do you think, a year or two?”

“Perhaps,” Anakin said.

Meekly, Barriss cleared her throat to get attention. “Forgive me Masters but, what are you talking about, and why am I here?”

“Two reasons,” Ahsoka said. “_ One _, we want you to eventually take the title of Grand Inquisitor.”

A hungry glint shone in Barriss’ eyes, and her discomfort was banished in favor of an ambition. “What do I need to do?” she asked immediately.

“Your task is simple,” Anakin said. “Prove to us and the rest of the Inquisitors that you are worthy of the title. Defeat the Second Sister and the Grand Inquisitor thoroughly enough that I can grant you the title without suspicion.”

“If we just give you the title, the rest of them will simply assume you are a figurehead,” Ahsoka said.

Barriss frowned. “Am I not? Look at what you’re doing to me. Am…” She pulled away slightly, causing Ahsoka to pout, but allow it. “Am I just arm candy to you?”

“You’re my _ friend _, Barriss,” the Togruta insisted. “Our Empire will be built on trust, loyalty, and merit. Not bribes and fear.” She scoffed. “Palpatine’s an idiot. He knows how to conquer a galaxy, not run it.”

A chill ran up the Inquisitor’s spine for the first real time. “You two are serious about this,” she said quietly, looking at them both like the mad fools they were.

“We are very serious, Third Sister,” Anakin said. “We require an answer. Out of all the former Jedi in the Inquisitorius, you and your master had the most victories in the Clone War. Venatrix spoke highly of your meticulous capability to plan and execute. With personal power at your disposal, you can be a great ally to us, and will have say in the future.”

“Think about it, Barriss,” Ahsoka said, slipping close once again. She spoke quietly into the Mirialan’s ear. “You as Grand Inquisitor at the start, but eventually we will do away with it. Soon there will be no more Jedi hunting. What then? You know the Emperor leaves no loose ends. He’ll order us to execute the lot of you.”

“Would you?” Barriss asked immediately. Ahsoka glanced at Anakin, as unreadable as ever.

“Not you,” the Togruta said, allowing the girl some room once more. “But we’re not going to worry about that. We’re going to worry about how we’re going to hide our secret order of Dark Jedi. What do you say, Grand Master Offee?”

“I’ll do it!” she said immediately, only for her eyes to widen in surprise at herself. “Yes, yes, I believe I can be of use to the Sith,” she added more modestly.

“Very good,” Anakin said. “But you are not a tool. You are a person. You have your own ambitions and desires. You may pursue these at your whim, as long as they do not go against us or the Empire as a whole.”

Barriss looked over to Ahsoka, who was looking hungrily at the Inquisitor. She had to admit that she did miss her friend. After the first month in prison, grief and guilt had started to consume her. She had thought that Ahsoka was still with the Jedi when she felt the wave of death spread across the galaxy, and...she didn’t like thinking about that night. Lord Vader decreed she wasn’t some tool, but Ahsoka had obviously laid claim to her. Her feelings on that matter?

_ There are far worse outcomes _, she told herself.

“I’ll start practicing, then,” Barriss said.

“We can practice together,” Ahsoka said eagerly. “I have some places we can go to while you’re on a mission or something. I’ll get you up to speed in no time.”

“I certainly hope so,” Barriss said. “Challenge duels are to the death.”

“If he kills you Barriss, I’ll make sure he wished he didn’t,” Ahsoka promised. With a sigh, she looked over to Anakin. “Next, Vader?”

The suited man crossed his arms, and the Mirialan’s attention was suddenly direct and fearful, just as she had grown to be. “You were a healer in the Jedi Order,” Anakin stated.

“Yes, Master,” Barriss said. “When on the ground I was often a combat medic.”

“Good,” he said. “You will take up this role once again.”

The Inquisitor sputtered, an incredulous look on her face as the Dark Lord asked for the impossible. “But, Master I can’t! I’ve..fallen, I-”

“You are restricted by the Jedi teachings,” he said, jabbing a finger at her. “Which say once fallen, you can not touch the light again. This is false.”

Barriss looked down, averting her gaze from the imposing man. “As you say, Master.”

Anakin frowned behind the mask. It was obvious that the girl didn’t believe him, but simply didn’t wish to be punished by contradicting him. Words had never been his strong suit. Actions were. So he decided to act. Slowly he reached forward with his hand. Offee flinched and tried to step back, but Ahsoka quickly grabbed her and held her still. Giving his partner a nod of thanks, he reached forward, very carefully drawing upon the light. It burned still yet, the Force unhappy with him for what he had done to it, but it did not fight him. With the gentlest of touches, he sent a tiny burst of warmth into the Dark Jedi.

Barriss’ eyes fluttered as she felt a power she had long since thought to be forever out of her reach. The light, ever comforting and soothing, eased the raw nerves in her body and mind, and for the barest moment she almost felt as if she were a Jedi again. Then, it was gone once again. The power of the light, soothing warmth, it came from a blast furnace she found familiar. Very familiar. Someone she was never close to, but felt regularly.

“M-Master Skywalker?” Barriss asked carefully. Anakin and Ahsoka shared a quick look, and a grin spread across the Togruta’s lips.

“I told you she was smart,” Ahsoka said.

“Hmph. You are correct, _ Padawan _ Offee,” Anakin said. “What are you going to do with this information?”

Barriss looked at him for a moment, opening her mouth to speak, but there was something different. She wasn’t as close to Skywalker as Ahsoka was, but she still had enough experience with the man to have learned his tells and emotions through the Force. When all she saw was Vader, she felt only fear at the incomprehensible hatred and pain she felt. Now, with the proper key at hand, beneath the darkness there was...amusement, and interest.

“I believe I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lord Vader,” she said in an obvious lie. The Dark Lord nodded in approval. “So, what can a healer like myself do for you?”

“For now you will _ do _ nothing,” Anakin said. “You will learn what we have to teach you so you will not make the Emperor or your fellow Inquisitors aware of your power. Once we are certain you can remain concealed, we will work on healing my injuries.”

“Of course, Master,” Barriss said, only to hesitate. “Though I will need your medical records in order to treat you properly. What will I be dealing with?”

Anakin was silent for a moment. He greatly disliked speaking about his injuries to anyone. When Ahsoka forcefully cleared her throat, Barriss flinched at the act. Someone had effectively demanded something of Lord Vader! What were they thinking? Of course, it quickly died down into understanding. It was Master Skywalker and his Padawan. They were always like this.

“I was set on fire,” Anakin said. “My entire body suffered third degree burns, and my lungs have been ruined.”

Barriss’ mouth dropped open in horror at the explanation. “By the Force, what happened?”

“That is not your concern,” he said, jabbing a finger at her again. The Mirialan swallowed thickly, reminded that while this was Anakin Skywalker, he was also Lord Vader. “I will retrieve my records, though I must be careful about it. If my master finds out about this, he will take note of it. And if he finds out about this, he will come after _ you _ .” He pointed at Barriss once more. “So for now, you will do nothing to make him believe that you are aware you can touch the light. You will _ not _ touch the light until we say so, or he will notice. Is that clear... _ Inquisitor? _”

Barriss bowed her head. “Of course, Master.”

“Good. Now. Who can we trust?” he asked.

“Of the Inquisitors?” Barriss asked. “None of them outright. Most of us are trying to jockey position. Though…” She paused, putting a finger to her chin. “Ninth Sister was betrayed by Sixth Brother on Dac a little over a year ago. Chopped her leg off and left her to die against mind tricked clones while he escaped.”

“I remember,” Anakin said. “There was a rivalry between them, yes?”

“Yes,” Barriss said. “Though Sixth Brother died on some mission a few months ago. Around the time Grand Inquisitor took you off the wanted list, Ahsoka.” She looked at the Togruta, who was simply smirking. “Was that you?”

“It was, why?” Ahsoka asked.

“Well…” Barriss shrugged. “Ninth Sister did say she wanted to meet the person who killed Sixth Brother. I’m sure she would be grateful. I know it’s not much but...it’s a start?”

The Togruta nodded. “A start.”

“You will pay attention to any further developments for now, Third Sister,” Anakin said. “But do not draw attention to yourself. You want no one to suspect of our plan.”

“Forgive me my lord but, me being in here along with you will be enough.”

Anakin waited for a moment and scowled. “I know. You will act as mundane as possible and allow their suspicions to fade. Be thankful that you are Ahsoka’s..._ friend _.” Without another word he turned and left. Ahsoka stayed only for a moment longer to give Barriss a hug, one that hurt with all the injuries.

“Sorry about beating the crap out of you. I needed to get it out of my system. I won’t do it again. Feel free to tell me if any of them hurt you. I’ll put them in their place.” She started to walk out of the room, but froze at the doorway. “Oh, and if you betray me again, we won’t be friends anymore. Understand?” she casually threatened.

Barriss gulped and nodded meekly before her mistress left. As soon as they were out of earshot, she collapsed to the floor and wept, reasons unknown. Inquisitors do not _ weep _.

===

Outside in the speeder and heading back to the palace, the two of them were silent for a moment. Unable to trust anyone for now, Ahsoka had driven them to the Inquisitorius Headquarters before, and had the helm once again.

“How did they fare?” Anakin asked.

“I never fought the Second Sister, but all of them are pretty weak,” she replied. “I’m surprised they’ve managed to kill any Jedi at all.”

“You forget that we were exceptional. Of the common Knights and Padawans, approximately six per day died on the battlefield. The instruction I have given the Inquisitors was enough for them to overpower most of the survivors. What of your crystals? Were they sufficient?”

She grimaced and touched one of her hilts. Within each was a kyber bled by Anakin and given to her, purely for appearances sake. Sith crystals weren’t given, they were _ taken _. She didn’t plan on bleeding crystals if she could help it, but these red rocks...there was no sense of accomplishment with them. They obeyed her, but weren’t in tune with her desires. Each swing and parry she executed in the ring was mechanical and forced, not natural at all. “They’ll do for now,” she said.

“Be patient,” Anakin said. “It is only a matter of time until a Jedi is discovered. Then our master will be satisfied enough to teach you your...alternative desire.”

“Do you not want this too?” she asked.

“I am curious. Once I see what he is going to make you do, I will decide then.”

“_ Make _ me?” She snorted. “Right.”

“He tolerates your insolence because he likes your backbone, but his patience is not infinite. If you refuse to deal with the consequences of your actions, you will be punished. If not by him, then by me.”

Her head whipped around, staring at him incredulously. “You wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t I? It would be a disservice to you to not show you the error of your ways, just as you have done for me.”

Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

He was silent for a moment. “I am not ready to discuss it. I may have used the light for a moment to convince Offee, but I am still unconvinced of my path. We shall see in time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, Barriss. Woo! Officially in canon her fate is unknown. There was a possible story arc in The Clone Wars where she may or may not have committed suicide, but the episode was never written as far as I know. So, in this story she is the Third Sister.  
So here we get to see a tidbit of how dark Ahsoka can be. Obviously she's more than willing to beat a person half to death if they betray her, but Barriss got off easy. They are friends, after all. As for what kind of friends, you'll see later. People react differently to the dark side when it comes to what they see as theirs. Everyone Ahsoka knew is dead or unavailable, and despite what she tells herself, she isn't okay. Upon seeing someone of her old life ripped away from her, she chooses to lay claim to it out of a twisted sense of love and possession.  
As far as how Barriss feels about this? She's mostly in shock, and obviously she feels guilty about what happened. She's only really allowing Ahsoka to be all touchy feely out of that shock, and a large amount of fear of what her friend has become.  
Underneath it all, they may have had some minor crushes on each other during their Padawan days. Of course, the dark side amplifies feelings, and coupled with their sudden reunification, their relationship quickly became something perverted from what it once was.  
We'll see how this develops in the future, naturally.


	7. Left Hand

**Imperial Palace, Imperial Center**

Boredom, debilitating boredom, was the chief experience in the Imperial court. Ahsoka stood to the left and slightly behind her master as he sat on his throne, a silent observer to the daily happenings of the Empire.

The first day- the first _ week _ she was attentive, listening to everything that was happening. She learned a fair amount: names, positions, and some intel. None of it was truly useful to her, and even if it was, she couldn’t tell the Rebellion about it yet. She was certain that Palpatine was watching her for treachery.

“Your mind is elsewhere, Lady Venatrix.”

She almost jerked to attention, blinking a few times as she surveyed what was in front of her. Or rather, what was not in front of her. There were no guests kneeling before them. No fearful subjects of the Empire trying to gain the Emperor’s favor. Just the two Sith, and the guards. Anakin had been sent on some other task.

She turned and looked at her master. The black ensemble she had been ordered to put together and wear felt strange on her skin. Not in comfort, as it was similar to what she normally wore, but in the fact that she was openly showing herself as an Imperial. It was only a bit more than a year ago she was fighting against the Empire, and now she stood at the devil’s side. Still, she couldn’t argue against the fact that she was more imposing in them. The lessons she had taken as a Padawan on different cultures were very clear. For most peoples, black was the color of death, decay, or disease. The sycophants that came to grovel before the Emperor spared her some looks, but they mostly kept their eyes averted.

“Sorry Master,” she said. “I’m very bored.”

“Understandable,” Sidious said. “You are a being of action. Your first mission as a Jedi was in a warzone, and your master was well known for almost never meditating passively.”

Ahsoka let out a short sigh. “Yes. I’m used to _ doing _ something. Not just standing around.”

Sidious let out a dissatisfied grunt. “There is plenty to be done here, Apprentice, if you have the vision.”

“Master?”

“You have something very few people do, Venatrix. Firsthand knowledge of what goes on in this room. The only others that share this advantage are the guards, the transcription droid, Vader, and of course myself. There is power in knowledge, Apprentice. You simply need learn how to apply it properly.”

“I don’t suppose you’re willing to teach me?” she deadpanned.

The old man’s mouth twisted into an amused smirk. “If I wasn’t willing to teach you, Venatrix, we would not be having this conversation. The true question is, are you willing to learn what I have to teach?”

The Togruta pressed her lips into a line. “If I wasn’t willing to learn, I wouldn’t be here,” she shot back.

The Emperor barked a laugh, his hands steepling together. “Very good, Apprentice. Listen carefully, as the basics are quite simple. You recall our discussions on Ilum?”

“How could I forget?” She still had sore spots from the frostbite.

“That is the first step. Paying attention and recall. Observe and consider everything you see and hear. Information, knowledge, wisdom. Without these things you will be nothing more than you are now. A simple warrior. A tool. If you wish to eventually surpass me, you will need to learn how to take information, and learn from it, gaining knowledge. From there you refine the knowledge into wisdom and thus, power. Power to change your world as you see fit.”

He held a hand out to the vacant address platform. “What information have you learned here so far?”

She grimaced slightly. “Some tidbits about a few projects. Issues in some sectors. Production reports. Not much.”

“Not much?” he asked quietly. “You have allowed your disinterest to blind you. Even the smallest details influence the greater whole, and in fact, can be the most devastating. Take for example, the impact of a full night’s rest. Say an engineer has trouble sleeping at night, and is exhausted before a day begins. A colleague of his hands a design for inspection and the engineer, in his state, misses a critical flaw. The design is finalized, and the product put into production. This part is very important. Say...a type of fastener or electronic part. Something tiny and used in all manner of devices everywhere. One of these parts finds its way into a starship reactor, where it then spectacularly fails during a battle. The reactor explodes, the battle is lost, and a nation collapses, all because a man couldn’t sleep at night.”

She listened intently, finding the story a bit of a stretch, but plausible. “That’s assuming a lot, though. Someone else would have caught it. Or it would have messed up before the battle.”

Sidious shrugged lightly. “Perhaps, but the risk was still there. The _ point _, Apprentice, is that everything is relevant until it is not. Leave no stone unturned, no rumor unchecked. If you hope to overthrow me, you will need every advantage you can get.”

She eyed him carefully, and he slowly turned his head to meet her gaze. “Why would you help me like this?”

“I have conquered the galaxy, but the Sith Imperative must continue. I am old, Venatrix. I require a true apprentice. A successor. One not only with the strength to lead, but to dispose of me when the time comes.”

Her mouth opened up to speak, but nothing came out as she froze. She felt something dance over her skin as she finally processed what he had said. More important was who he had said it to, and who he had not. There were only a handful of people who had the privilege of witnessing the throne room’s proceedings, after all. The guards would never betray Sidious, and he could easily delete what was said from the recordings. That left only her as someone who could speak of this.

He had just given her information and power with what he was implying. That one day, _ she _ could sit in that throne. Rule the galaxy to her own whims.

A hunger gnawed at her. It was familiar and intimate. She had felt it ever since she fell months ago, but it was small and ignorable. She hadn’t even considered indulging it until she heard about Barriss’ survival, and out of curiosity she allowed it to feed. The desire to dominate was a quiet disease, and could sneak up on the unwary. She felt Barriss’ submission when she claimed her friend, and there was a satisfaction to it that was foreign and exotic. Barriss was hers and would do what Ahsoka said but this...this was different. Sidious was offering her more. Much more.

She could see the knowing look in his eyes as he smiled. He could sense her desire and hunger. He didn’t even flinch when she finally noticed she had a hand on one of her lightsabers, unknowingly moving to kill the man and take all he had. As she let it go, she felt a strange nausea, as if she were denying something necessary to her survival. It was only then that she finally truly understood.

_ One to embody power, and one to crave it. _

She had heard the phrase in the Jedi temple during their lessons on the Sith. She thought she understood, and while she comprehended the phrase’s words, she had no idea what it truly meant to _ feel _ it. To truly desire to dominate, to take what she wanted from another. It was only as envy began to course through her that she realized just how naive she had been to think she understood what it meant to be Sith.

She watched as he gently took her hand with his own and stood. With just a tug he led her to the front of the throne, and with the slightest of presses to her shoulder, sat her down in it. She knew it was just a chair, but on a level she could feel the power it represented. Power that was locked away from her for now.

“Can you see yourself in this throne, Venatrix? Not just sitting in it, but _ owning _ it?” Sidious asked.

She gently squeezed at the armrests. The leather was soft and luxurious, and she was sure the padding was some manner of foam that never lost its spring. She imagined the Imperial Ruling Council and the highest officers of the military kneeling before her. The galaxy was at her fingertips, and with just a single word her will would be made manifest.

“I can,” she managed to say evenly. Truly however, she was trembling with excitement and desire, and anyone within five feet could see it.

Sidious was one of these people.

“Do you see that button right there?” he asked, pointing to a surreptitious button built into the arm. “Press it.”

She wasn’t sure why he wanted this, but she did so anyway. There was a short chime from the chair, signalling that its command was received, but nothing happened. “Nothing happened,” she said.

“Oh, _ something _ has indeed happened,” Sidious said whimsically. Seconds later, the entrance doors to the throne room opened, and a human male entered. He was regally dressed, and had a sense of superiority about him. He had power of a kind. Maybe a senator or monarch- no, if it was a royal, he would have an entourage. The human stalled slightly upon seeing the Togruta sitting on the throne, and the Emperor standing behind it with a hand atop the backrest.

“Master?” she asked quietly, looking up at him.

“You want the Empire. I know you do. Here is a...trial, of sorts. A taste. Until I say otherwise, your word is as mine. Unless you do something _ incredibly _ foolish, I will not interfere.”

Her mouth opened in shock for a moment before it snapped shut. There were questions and uncertainty in equally large numbers, but she wasn’t about to show weakness in front of him. She would just have to deal with her situation as best as she could, and deal with the consequences later.

So she straightened her back, crossed one leg over the other, rested her hands on a knee, and tried to appear comfortable. She waited for the human to step up to the audience dais, and watched him kneel. She knew her power was temporary, but she could certainly get used to this.

“Who approaches the throne of the Emperor?” she called, carefully modifying the Emperor’s address to ensure she didn’t assume the title. She called upon her old Commander Tano voice which, while rusty, seemed to be sufficient. Behind her, she felt her master allow his approval to leak into the Force.

“I am Senator Dereth Findis of Mel-Koria, my...lady?” There was a pause, and it took Ahsoka a moment for her to realize he was waiting on her once he glanced at the Emperor. She gave him a silent nod, and he continued. “My lady, I come to you with a plea. I am not sure if you know, but my world is rich with metals and gems. During the Clone Wars, the reputation of the Separatist Alliance was well known. When their forces began eyeing my world, we turned to the Republic for aid. They offered protection in return for mining rights, and our world was safe.”

He shifted slightly, and she could easily sense anger and betrayal.

“Then the war ended, the Republic became the Empire, and despite the contract ending with the war, the Empire has not only not left our world as agreed, but it has also begun extracting more resources than the terms dictate. We specifically set limits on the rate of extraction to preserve our ecosystem, but at the rates we are being told to expect, our world will be set into a spiral within a decade that will render it uninhabitable.

“My lady this is...unacceptable.”

Ahsoka’s lips twitched into a frown. This..._ this _ is what she wanted to stop. Blatant violations of law. Breaking agreements. How was the galaxy supposed to recover if its government could not be trusted?

“Do you have a copy of the agreement? With the relevant terms ready?” she asked.

“Yes, my lady,” Findis said.

“Bring it to me.” The senator rose, reaching into his pocket to produce a datapad. After carefully approaching the throne and handing it off, he returned to the audience dais.

The first thing she noticed was the size of the agreement, and she reflexively shut her eyes and visibly recoiled. Her diplomacy and negotiation classes at the Jedi Temple were not her favorite. Simply looking at the size of the bloated contract brought back unpleasant memories of hours of combing through words and clauses. But she passed. Barely. It would hopefully be enough to sort through the thing.

Silently she read through the relevant clauses marked. The contract was straightforward, as far as things like this are. However she immediately spotted the issues. Whoever wrote the thing obviously intended for this “deal” to go on for longer than the duration of the war. Simply nullifying the contract with her temporary powers would probably result in them being immediately taken away. Regardless, the Empire needed raw materials.

“Please explain how, in your eyes, the Empire has violated the contract,” she said.

Resignation and disappointment leaked into the Force from the senator. “As I said, my lady, the contract states that once the war was over, pullouts would begin immediately. Even if the war was still going on, the increased extraction rate has hardly been justified.”

She deliberately did not react, instead looking at the contract again. “I assume you have already gone through the motions before coming to submit a plea to the Emperor?”

“Yes, my lady.” The man nodded.

“And what were you told?”

“I was told that since the remaining Separatist forces hadn’t been dealt with, the war was not over.”

“I see,” she said before he could continue. “The clause here states not the end of the war, but instead the “cessation of hostilities.” The Empire is still fighting what remains of the Separatist Alliance in the Outer Rim. Hostilities have not ceased.”

The senator grit his teeth, but seemed to hold his tongue. “I see. And the increased extraction rates?”

She looked at the clauses again. It was worded that extraction would only increase as demands changed, and was tied into military production. Mel-Koria and the senator likely assumed that once the war reached its end, production would decrease, not _ increase _ as it did with the Empire’s sudden formation. Of course, the Mel-Korian advisors and senator would have probably caught all of this had they not been strongarmed into it by Separatist pressure. Pressure likely ordered by Palpatine behind the scenes. It was actually pretty clever.

“I’m sure you’ve already been told that the extraction rates increased due to the post war military buildup. Again, the contract has not been invalidated.” A sigh of defeat, quiet and nearly inaudible, was heard from the man in front of her. “However…I can see that there is perhaps room for renegotiation.”

Findis perked up slightly, surprise easily visible on his face. “My lady?”

“The Empire can assign someone to discuss changing the terms of the agreement. I don’t see a reason why your planet be ruined unnecessarily.” The politician was dumbfounded to the point that he did not reply. “Is that not sufficient?” she asked in amusement.

“No- I mean, yes! Yes, my lady that is more than sufficient!” He bowed, deeply and gratefully. Addressing the Emperor directly after trudging through the bureaucracy was effectively a desperation move, as if the leader of the Empire didn’t have mercy, no one would.

“Good,” she said. “I’ll have someone dispatched to discuss this with your world. Is there anything else you need?” She handed the datapad out for him to take.

“No, my lady,” the senator said before retrieving it.

“Dismissed,” she said. The human bowed and thanked her again before making his way out of the throne room. A satisfied smile crept onto Ahsoka’s lips, until the door closed, that is. Sidious reminded her of his presence by resting a hand on her head.

“Explain your actions,” he gently commanded. She sensed no malice or anger. At least no more than usual, so he wasn’t furious with her, thankfully.

“People tend to revolt when their homes and livelihoods are destroyed,” she said simply. “I think that relaxing a bit on the tyranny will help in the long run. Plus, it shows that the Empire is willing to negotiate. If all we do is strongarm and abuse loopholes, no one will want to cooperate.”

“We have fleets and armies to _ ensure _ cooperation, Venatrix,” Sidious said.

“We do, but why force people into it when they can do it willingly? Why risk revolt at all?”

The Emperor was silent for a moment, studying her intently. “An interesting point. I will consider it.” Ahsoka’s eyes went wide as she realized she managed to make _ Palpatine _ consider something she said. “Continue with court. Your trial has not ended.”

So she accepted the next visitor, and the next, and the next. She didn’t dare go against the interests of the Empire, nor did she care to. Still, she kept to her principles when she could. She met with military officers and governors, all of them naturally confused by her presence, but upon seeing the Emperor standing behind her they quickly realized that this is exactly what he willed. She naturally had no idea what projects they had been referring to nor their importance, but the irritation or satisfaction she felt her master allow into the Force was enough to guide her.

Then of course, there were those that simply sought to further their own power at the Empire’s expense.

“Denied,” she said.

“Wh- but, milady-”

“_ Denied, _” she repeated more forcefully. She glared at the Moff below her. She didn’t know the man, but she knew his kind. A brownnoser. Someone who gained their position purely through political pull, favors, and bribes. Skill in military operations played very little in their career. This specific man governed the Arkanis Sector, and thus had to deal with the Hutts and other criminals. His problems were real, and his solutions were poor. Either he was incompetent or he was simply allowing the problems to spread in order to increase the size of his own fleet.

“Moff Julstan, you are asking for resources that are needed elsewhere,” she said. She truly didn’t know the deployments of anything, and thus she simply left them as is. She was at one point a commander. Not a fleet admiral. She wasn’t about to pretend otherwise. “So far from what you’ve described, you’ve done nothing but simply react to what’s been happening. If you want to deal with the criminals, you will need to go out there and _ find them. _ Buy information, set traps, negotiate with those who know more about the sector than you to help.”

The Moff sputtered, obviously insulted that a nineteen year old girl was trying to tell him how to do his job. His face went red with embarrassment and anger, and he huffed, his eyes flicking from her to the Emperor.

“My Emperor, surely you can see the need to increase fleet presence? Why are you allowing this...this _ creature _to-” His words were cut off by a struggling noise, and then silence. His eyes widened in confusion as he brought a hand to his neck, only for it to be joined by another as the officer was lifted into the air. He looked first at the Emperor, who was simply watching with an amused smile, and then shifted to Tano, whose strange golden eyes matched the dark scowl on her face. The girl held a hand in the air as if it were a claw, and right as the Moff’s struggling started to fade from a lack of oxygen, she dropped her hand, the nearly comatose officer following suit.

“I believe Lady Tano’s point has been made, Moff Julstan,” Sidious said. “She has given you some direction. Do not waste it.”

The Moff tried to speak, only succeeding in making a croaking sound before giving a faint bow, and vacating the room as soon as possible.

“Lord Vader or myself would not have shown such mercy, Venatrix,” the Emperor said. “Disrespect like that should be punished. Why not kill him?”

“What would that accomplish, Master?” she asked. “If I kill him, he won’t learn anything.”

“Hnh… Very well.” He paused, perhaps contemplating what to do next. “Up. I think that’s enough.”

Ahsoka frowned slightly, getting a feel of the soft leather one last time before standing up and returning to her place.

With a sigh, the Emperor returned to his throne. “You made some interesting decisions, Venatrix. Some I would have shared, others...less so. Still, it was informative.”

“I hope I didn’t disappoint,” she said.

“You showed a willingness to command and didn’t hesitate to impose your will. While I may have disagreed with some of your decisions, I won’t negate any of them. What I _ will _ do, however, is caution you against excessive mercy. I have found that fear is a far better motivator than loyalty.”

“I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree, Master,” she replied.

Amused laughter came from the man, a tone that she had learned to mean he was pleased with her, and let her relax. “Oh, I have worked with simpering sycophants for far too long, Venatrix. I foresee an enjoyable time training you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can not for the life of me find my reference, but I remember at one point reading that Palpatine didn't rediscover Essence Transfer until roughly 9 BBY. Thus, his concern of the Sith dying out is actually real here. He legitimately wants someone worthy to succeed him, and in his eyes Vader is such a failure that he isn't. If you look at a number of works, Palpatine tries very hard to replace him. In some of the newer comics he's even willing to have non-sensitives do it too, as long as they are stronger.
> 
> This chapter was largely setup for events down the line, but was necessary. Three things happened here, one of which was a bit more obvious than the other two. Were you paying attention, Apprentice?


	8. Regret and Repayment

** _ISD Exactor_ **

The dark side of the Force was largely considered by the Jedi to be a corruption of the Force. That it was unnatural. It did, in a way, make sense. Those that embraced the darkness were often seen with sulfurous yellow eyes, pale and sagging skin, and heard with raspy breaths. That didn’t even include the mental effects, which included unreasonable aggression, paranoia, greed, and megalomania. Anyone could be instructed about the dark side, see the physical and mental effects, and think: “Yes, that makes sense.”

The Sith did not deny the dark side’s perceived effects, they simply ignored them, saying it was a price worth paying in order to achieve power. The power was simply too much for the fleshy bodies of Force sensitives, leading to decay. Like nearly everything about Sith philosophy, the Force was simply a means to power, and was to be used as a tool. There were warnings about being wary of the Force biting back through its seemingly semi-aware nature, but the punishments it dealt were simply more payment for the power the Sith sought.

Of course, like any kind of explanation, it had the possibility to be wrong. Like any field of natural science, there was always more to learn. The Jedi and Sith believed that there was danger in emotion, both from embracing it and the lack thereof. They had believed this for thousands of years, and had hardly ever changed their doctrines. They had shut their eyes and ears to the possibility of change. It was the nature of the galaxy to stagnate. Wars and cycles that happened over and over, much like a poem that rhymed again and again.

Of course, once in awhile, someone would go and try to do something as deviant as consider new possibilities. It took the mind of someone that instinctively bucked against the status quo. In another world, she decided to ride the middle. That woman ended up someone with few regrets, but she also succumbed to the stagnation that plagued everyone. This one though, she less walked the line, and instead chose to embrace the Force in its entirety.

“If you speak of this to anyone, you will die, Offee.”

Barriss toothily frowned, while Ahsoka simply rolled her eyes. “Quit whining, Anakin. She has to see you without the armor,” she said. Barriss' head snapped to her, a horrified look on her face. Insulting Lord Vader was a one way ticket to death, and many people knew it. When the cyborg Sith simply growled in irritation instead of murdering his partner, Barriss tentatively let her fear go.

The three of them were within Anakin’s private medbay on his ship, the star destroyer _ Exactor _. Officially they were on their way to investigate a Jedi sighting, and that was true. The ship was indeed in hyperspace, heading towards a reported sighting. Darth Vader had taken the Third Sister along for the mission, and since Lady Tano needed Jedi kills under her belt, she decided to tag along.

The fact that all of Palpatine’s spies onboard the ship had disappeared was a lucky break. Vader was loud. Venatrix was not. These three things may or may not have been related.

As the arms and automatic features began disassembling Anakin’s armor, he said, “I do not recall you being _ this _ snippy when you were my Padawan.”

“That’s because you were my Jedi Master,” Ahsoka replied.

“The Sith don’t exactly encourage insolence either,” he said, amused.

“You’re...not really my master anymore,” she carefully said, keeping her eyes away. Upon feeling the rage explode from him, she hastily added, “Sidious _ stole _ me from you, remember? _ We _ are partners. Friends. Technically I know more about being a Sith than you.” While Anakin was sent out to kill rebels, she had been tasked to read. In order to read, she had to learn how to speak and write Sith. The difficulty in that wasn’t insurmountable, but it still encouraged her to commit everything she read to memory.

The black death mask continued to look at her for a moment before it was turned away. “You are right,” he said. Anakin knew what that meant. When he was forced to choose between his friends and his masters, he chose the former. She was saying she would do the same. To the side, Barriss watched quietly, though her curiosity was obvious.

Slowly and methodically, the mechanical arms disassembled Anakin’s armorsuit, and he was eventually on the table, exposed. His skin was covered in scars, a lot of it still red and enflamed. His chest revealed several ports and plugs for the suit to interface with to ensure he stayed alive. Four metallic prosthetics took the place of his arms and legs from the elbows and knees down. His eyes winced at the light, though it dimmed after he gestured towards the control panel. Over his mouth and nose, a sealed mask was placed, the raspy and loud breathing replaced with something much more subtle. He wore only a pair of compression shorts that also functioned as a waste collector.

Ahsoka watched as Barriss grew more and more nauseated as Anakin’s half destroyed body was revealed. The Mirialan fell due to the horrors of war, and it seemed that even the dark side could not entirely purge her of disgust for it.

“What’s wrong, didn’t you tend to burn victims?” Anakin mocked with a slight glare. His voice was extremely weak without his mask’s vocoder

“I’m sorry, Master I just…” She turned, taking several deep breaths before coming back around. “I’ve never seen anyone this bad. Any clones we found like this would already be dead or dying, and they had their armor to cover it so…”

“Can you do anything about it?” he interrupted.

Her jaw shut with an audible click. “Please give me a moment.” She brought up a datapad, quickly scanning through what was wrong with him and the procedures used to keep him alive. The more she read, however, the more her mouth twisted into a frown, and then an angry snarl. Without warning, she shouted and flung the device at a wall, only for it to be caught in mid air by Ahsoka.

“I would very much like to meet the doctor that designed the procedures so I can demonstrate a vivisection on them,” Barriss said as she took the pad back. “This..._ Cylo _...has absolutely no concept of medical ethics.”

“Explain,” Anakin said.

Barriss sighed. “Where to start? First off, your suit is outdated. I suspected, but it’s already forty years old, at least. The parts are probably not even mass produced anymore, so you won’t be able to get any replacements without finding who is manufacturing them a handful at a time. Your prosthetics are the wrong size, and don’t even have their casings. Instead of being put into a bacta tank after being stabilized, you were put under a number of archaic medical procedures that were used as stopgap measures to keep patients alive. The cocktail of chemicals your suit is giving you is…” She scowled again. “Half of these have horrendous side effects, a quarter are outright poisons, and the other quarter are things I’ve never even heard of. In short, my lord, either this Cylo is grossly incompetent, or our dear Emperor ordered him to create something so debilitating, it might as well have been a punishment.”

“It was a punishment,” Anakin said expressionlessly. To his side, Ahsoka was silently fuming in place of him. “Can you fix it?” he asked.

Barriss bit her lip and scrolled through the data again. “I never fully certified as a healer, Master. The war cut my lessons short. At best I’m a field medic but…” She frowned, but then tilted her head slightly. “If I had some surgical droids, I could definitely do better than this mess.”

“Not good enough,” Ahsoka said.

Barriss recoiled. “But-”

“No, Barriss. You’re a medic, not a surgeon, not a doctor. I won’t risk you killing him accidentally. We need a professional.” She finally noted Anakin staring at her. “What?”

“I can speak for myself, you know,” he said. “And I agree. Your prognosis has been noted, Offee, but I will seek someone else.”

A flash of indignation passed over the girl’s face, but only for a moment. “I understand, Master.”

“Do you think your talents in Force healing can help?” he asked.

“Mmm…” She looked over him again and again. “If you were brought to the temple and had a full team, you would have been back to normal, more or less. After two years and with the malpractice...it can help, but it won’t solve the big issues. The best I think we can do is your skin and eyes in the short term. We can get rid of the scar tissue, you will be able to see in normal light without problems, and you will have hair again, but that’s about it. If you have weekly sessions with me and hopefully Ahsoka, your lungs might eventually heal, but I don’t know how to treat them directly. Your voice will never return, and if you want anyone to hear you without the mask, you’ll need a replacement voicebox.”

Anakin grunted. “Fine. Begin.”

“What, now?” Barriss asked incredulously.

“Yes, now,” he replied. “I want to get out of the suit as soon as possible. The mask can be downsized first.”

The Mirialan sputtered, but when the dark lord glared at her, she shoved her uncertainty away. “Very well Master. I...well- Ahsoka, I’ll need your help. I haven’t touched the light in years. I’m not sure if I even remember how.”

Ahsoka frowned in pity at her friend. Barriss had been wallowing in darkness for so long, it wasn’t a surprise she had forgotten. That, combined with the lie or mistake that darkness is all that awaits those who turn would lead any former Jedi into a spiral of denial and self loathing. Others would simply crave the power that darkness brings and refuse the “weak” light. Perhaps Barriss would have been one of these people, but the two Sith weren’t telling her to give up the dark side. They were telling her there was _ more _. That both could be used.

The Togruta walked around the table and next to Barriss. _ When did she get so tall? _ the healer wondered. It had been almost three years now since her betrayal. When she bombed the temple and tricked Ahsoka into implicating herself. Barriss was almost a Knight then, and Ahsoka just a Padawan. Now Ahsoka had fallen to the dark side and joined the Sith, had punished Barriss for her actions, and then shown her mercy. At first when Ahsoka had called her _ friend _, she had been touchy-feely. Barriss thought she had been claimed as a pet. Part of her railed against the thought, but-

Barriss green face turned even greener as Ahsoka walked up behind her, wrapped her arms around the Mirialan’s waist, and hugged her close. “Ahsoka I won’t- I won’t be able to concentrate.”

“Shush,” Ahsoka commanded. “There will always be distractions, remember? Now reach for the light.”

The Inquisitor frowned, but acquiesced. Closing her eyes, she reached into the Force, searching for the warmth of the light side. Darkness was everywhere, both within her and in the galaxy. It was simply hard to even consider letting go of the power she had wrested from the Force, let alone doing it outright.

“I can’t see it,” Barriss said quietly.

“Why not?” Ahsoka asked. “We can. So can you.”

The Mirialan’s lip quivered. She didn’t know why she was so scared. Why it was building up more and more. Ahsoka was right, though. Jedi philosophy said that it was in the darkest of times that the light was most visible, and deep within herself she spotted the barest flicker of light, quietly waiting for its time. Hesitantly she reached for it, only for it to flee from her. Her mouth twisted into a snarl as she shot out and grabbed it, only for the power to slip right through her fingers.

“It isn’t working. I can’t do it,” Barriss spat.

“That’s because you’re trying to force it,” Ahsoka said. “You can’t force the light to work with you, remember? You have to call it.”

“I...I don’t-” Barriss stuttered.

“You can,” her friend replied, squeezing her a bit tighter. “I believe in you, Barriss. You can do this.” On the table, Anakin laid with his eyes closed, but a quiet scoff was audible through his mask. “Shush, you. You’re not helping.” The patient grumbled, but obeyed the one with more experience in this matter. “All you have to do is set your anger aside, Barriss. You don’t have to let it go. The dark side will still be there, waiting.”

Barriss nodded, and carefully opened her mental hand towards the light, but only just. It was a Jedi skill, and thus locked away from anyone who never learned their ways. She felt the light tentatively approach her like a hurt puppy, scared and uncertain.

“Do you feel it?” Ahsoka asked, and Barriss nodded. “Let it come to you, but you have to be ready for the light and dark to fight. Don’t let either one win. Remember that they are just two sides of the same Force. Accept them both.”

Barriss cringed slightly, but with Ahsoka there to guide her, she forged ahead. Patiently she waited for the light to come to her. Closer and closer it inched, carefully approaching the being that had abused it so. Finally as it touched her finger, she sucked in a breath of surprise as the warmth flooded her body. Her nervousness disappeared and was replaced by a faint smile as something she thought lost so long ago had returned.

Then it hit her. Guilt, raw and unfettered. Without the constant dull anger and darkness, everything that she had done came crashing upon her. She started trembling, her eyes began watering, and every muscle in her body felt weak. A pained whimper crept from her mouth before she collapsed, Ahsoka barely able to keep them both from crashing into the ground. Unable to stop herself, she began weeping, hands covering her face in shame.

“What’s happening?” Anakin asked, though he quickly felt it in the Force, and he grimaced.

“What have I done?!” Barriss yelled, though no one answered. Instead Ahsoka simply held her, gently shushing the girl and being there for her.

“It’s okay, Barriss,” Ahsoka whispered. “It’s okay.”

“No it’s...no it’s not! I’ve killed so many people!”

“Yes, you have. It’s okay to feel bad about that, but you have to move on.” Ahsoka gently rocked the weeping girl back and forth, trying to get her to calm down. She wrapped her friend in the light, doing her best to soothe her, though she was inexperienced. It helped, but only a little. Ahsoka glanced up to find Anakin watching. There wasn’t any true compassion from the man, just a hint of disgusted pity, but she supposed that was better than nothing.

Anakin lied back down on the table, and the two girls sat on the floor for awhile. Ahsoka gently soothed her friend’s pain away while Barriss slowly dealt with the worst of it. The Togruta may have been incapable of feeling true compassion like she used to, but if she wished, she could allow herself to feel a dull pain for others. It would allow herself to ground herself, and to truly give care when it was needed. After a time, Barriss’ sorrow finally tapered off, and she relaxed.

“Thank you,” the Mirialan said.

“Of course,” Ahsoka replied.

“Was it like this for you?”

Ahsoka’s lips twitched, but she pushed the memories away. They wouldn’t help here. “If you want to be Sith, you have to commit to a sacrifice. After mine, yes. It was.”

“Does it get any better?”

** _ Thick enough calluses will make any path easy to tread._ **

She pressed her lips into a line. “It can, if you deaden yourself to it.” She looked up, seeing a warning look from Anakin. “But I won’t teach you how.”

“Why?!’ Barriss demanded. “This feeling, I feel horrible! The light is back but I feel like a monster!”

“Barriss, breaking yourself like that is a Sith teaching. If we do that, the Emperor will notice. We can’t be sure he won’t have us kill you. You will just have to learn how to live with it.”

The girl tensed in her grasp. “Please…”

“No,” she repeated, a bit more forcefully. “I’ll be here for you though, okay? Maybe in time we can change this, but right now I need you to get up, okay?”

The Mirialan took several deep breaths before nodding her head. Ahsoka let go of her and allowed her to stand. Instead of grabbing back onto her again, she just stood to the side.

“I need you to show me how to heal, alright?” Ahsoka said. “Can you do that?”

Barriss took a deep breath and nodded her head. She met eyes with Anakin, who was expressionless, and simply lied back and closed his eyes once more. The healer stepped forward, extended her hands, and carefully reached for the light once more. Again, it timidly came to her, but as she showed that she was willing to _work_ _with_ it instead of simply _using_ it, it came close and wrapped itself around her. Barriss opened her eyes, free of the dark side’s corruption, and she let the rest of her hatred dwindle down to a speck. Healing would require no less than that.

Gently at first, she channelled the Force down her arms and hands, and it revealed itself as a soft blue glow. As she lowered her hands near and onto Anakin’s head, the Sith sucked in a breath as all the pain in the area was wiped away. For a moment he reflexively almost swatted it away. Pain was what drove him for so many months, and to lose it was to lose much of the power that he had, but this had to be done.

Anakin flinched only slightly as he felt a new pair of hands on his skin. The Force was drawn to his partner and expelled in a similar manner, but her contribution was unskilled and minimal. With time and practice, there would be more, but as it stood Ahsoka would be able only to deal with shallow scratches or perhaps minor bruises. Still, every little bit helped.

“Am I doing it right?” Ahsoka asked.

“It’s a start,” Barriss said, surprising both of the Sith with how calm she sounded. Until now, there was a certain edge to Barriss’ voice that betrayed the anger lying just beneath the surface. She almost sounded like a Jedi again. Almost. “I didn’t think this was possible.”

Ahsoka smirked. “I wonder if anyone has tried.”

Barriss frowned. “I’m sure they have but, why did we succeed?”

Ahsoka let the question sit for awhile. For now, they had a burn victim to tend to.

===

**Taris Orbit**

“Are you sure you can handle it?” Ahsoka asked.

“I am sure,” Anakin replied. The two of them sat within his office at his desk. He had allowed the systems to reassemble his suit, with the exception of the shoulder armor and helmet. The armor was Darth Vader, in private he was Anakin Skywalker, and had no need for that mask. The two women had spent hours gently passing over his body with healing energies. The heavy scar tissue had lessened, but only to the point that a medical scanner was needed to tell them. As far as the body was concerned, the wounds were healed. What had made great progress however were the soft tissues within his mouth. His eyes had made decent progress as well, but their complex nature made regeneration difficult. Unfortunately, he would have to begin shaving the patchy hair that would begin growing.

Barriss entered the room, carrying a tray of food from the mess hall. No one dared to question the Inquisitor and her lack of care for the protocols of the ship. She set it down on the desk in front of helmless Sith, and stood back. After their session, she had set the light aside in favor of the numbing darkness. Neither of the Sith blamed her, and in fact encouraged it. If any of the Inquisitors smelled the light on her, there would be trouble.

Anakin tentatively picked up a spork, and scooped a bite of the low quality noodles. The sauce was watery, but passable. As far as the Empire was concerned, the food supplied a human with half of the nutrients they required per day, and that was enough. He took a breath, opened his mouth, and shoved the food in. For a moment there was no reaction as he chewed, but soon enough, his expression softened into dull pleasure, and he swallowed. He let out a slow breath, and took another bite, and then another, enjoying the simple pleasure of being able to consume solid food. So engrossed in fact, that he neglected to take a breath from a portable mask, and wavered slightly before correcting the issue.

“Thank you, Barriss,” Anakin said. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to be able to do this again.”

The Inquisitor genuinely smiled. “Of course, Master.”

He took another bite, savoring the poorly flavored food. “Both of you get a shuttle ready to transport to the planet. I will be along shortly.”

===

**Taris**

A small honor guard of stormtroopers had been set up on the landing pad outside the garrison. Between them was the base’s commander, and a Cathar in black Inquisitor armor. Everyone stood at attention as the shuttle landed, and its boarding ramp descended. Out first was Darth Vader, as expected. Trailing him was a woman the Cathar recognized as the Third Sister, and his whiskers twitched in irritation at her presence. The other was an armored Togruta he did not recognize, and he tensed slightly at how the Force felt around her. It was of the dark side, but not an aspect that he had recognized.

“Welcome to Taris, Lord Vader, it is a pleasure to receive you and your Inquisitors,” the Commander said.

Anakin gave him a dismissive wave. “You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander. I am here because the Inquisitor has reported a Jedi presence for some time, but until now has been unable to prove their existence or capture them.” His head turned to the Cathar, and the feline swallowed in response. Likewise, the commander stiffened at Anakin’s bluntness, but said nothing.

“Of course, milord,” the commander said. “This group has been seen on and off Taris for some time. They are quite tenacious, hitting targets where have little time to respond, and once we do arrive, they disappear into the city’s depths.”

“Your _ failures _ are unsurprising, commander, considering your opponents are allied with the Force,” Anakin said. “However, you will not be answering to me.” He gestured to Ahsoka. “This mission is under the supervision of Darth Venatrix. You will treat her word as my own, and will answer any further failures to _ her _.”

The commander looked at the Togruta with fear, considering there was another person that held the name, or title, rather, of Darth. The Cathar’s eyes widened slightly, but he otherwise did not react.

“Of course,” the commander said as Anakin stepped back. “Milady.” He gave a short bow to Ahsoka. “I am Commander Triss. How may I serve?”

“You and the Inquisitor may serve by giving me a briefing,” she said. “Their patterns, preferred locations, and tactics.”

“Of course, Lady Venatrix. If you would follow me please?” The Togruta nodded, and he turned and led the three into the command center. As they walked, the piercing cry of a bird echoed through the area, though the only one to react was Ahsoka. A bird on a city planet? Not unheard of, of course. She paused for a moment, looking up to find a round avian making circles high in the sky, seemingly centered on the group. Something chimed, within her and in the Force, but she couldn’t place what it was.

“Milady?”

She looked down to find the commander looking at her curiously. She glanced back up, finding the creature suddenly gone. “It’s nothing,” she said. “Continue on.”

“What was it?” Anakin asked through their comms. Ahsoka had always envied the clones’ ability to have private conversations through their helmets, but now she could share that ability.

“A bird,” she replied.

“You stopped to watch a bird,” Anakin stated.

“There was something strange about it,” Ahsoka said. “In the Force.”

“I didn’t sense anything,” Barriss said.

“Neither did I,” Anakin said. “It must have been for you alone. Be mindful.”

Ahsoka didn’t physically react, but mentally made a note. “So, Inquisitor,” she said out loud to the Cathar. “What can you tell me about these Jedi?”

“I really wouldn’t call them Jedi, my lady,” the Inquisitor said. “They have evaded me for now, but they hardly have the skill to fight me off.”

“And yet you have not caught them yet,” Ahsoka replied. She felt irritation from the Cathar. “That was not an insult, Inquisitor. Explain why they escaped.”

“There are four of them,” he said. “They compliment each other well. One was a Padawan, another an Initiate. They’ve taken on two other Force sensitives as students. They can be troublesome.”

He said nothing more, and Barriss said, “Are you going to explain how they escaped to our Master, Tenth Brother?”

Tenth growled and shot Barriss a look. “I was _ getting ther _ e, Third Sister. As I was saying, I’ve been tracking them for months. Every time I find them though, they disappear. Not this time though. They blew up a shipyard on Kuat a couple months ago, and there were too many witnesses for them to disappear. I followed them here, and they have started lying low. Still, they haven’t left. This _ has _ to be their home. They know the place too well. Every time I find them, they slip away through some alleyway route.”

“Fair enough,” Ahsoka said. She wasn’t going to berate the man for failing on territory that the enemy knows. “Between the four of us and the commander here, I’m sure we can trap them.”

“My lady, I am sure if you just give me more time, I can defeat them. Your help is appreciated, but not required,” Tenth Brother said.

“Jockeying for position?” Barriss said.

Tenth hissed like the feline he was in response. “I am simply proving my worth, _ sister _.”

“If you had already killed the Jedi, you wouldn’t need to, _ brother _.”

“Yes and we all know how good you are at that,” the Cathar spat.

“Quit needling each other,” Ahsoka said. The two Inquisitors immediately apologized and went silent.

Within the command center, Commander Triss brought up some camera footage of their targets. A red Twi'lek female, a Mirialan female, a Human male, and a Human female. “According to the database from the Jedi survivors, we were able to determine the identities of two individuals.” He switched the holoprojector to four generated images of the enemy crew. “Inquisitor? I believe this is your area.”

The Cathar grunted in response, which obviously irritated the officer. “The Twi’lek is a former Padawan named Tenzi Phere. Apparently she idolized Dooku before he turned traitor and mostly uses Form 2 for lightsaber combat. She is supposed to be some kind of mind trick prodigy. I’ve only crossed blades with her for a few seconds. She’s decent enough, as far as I can tell.”

“I don’t know much about the Force, milords,” Triss said. “However her abilities are apparent.” He cycled through a few videos until he settled on one; Tenzi and the rest of the crew approached a checkpoint, the Twi’lek waved her hand, and the guards immediately dropped their weapons and proceeded to cuff each other. “I have had to station droids near the most sensitive areas to ensure that there is _ something _ there immune to her trickery.”

“A wise decision, Commander,” Anakin said. Ahsoka had wondered if he would speak up, but it seemed he was content to mostly observe. This was technically a trial for her as Sith, and relying on the advice of others was a weakness. The commander promptly thanked Anakin, and allowed the Cathar to continue.

“The second Jedi, the human male, an Initiate named Kal’tar Madrin. There isn’t much on him in the records, but he seems to favor Form 3. He also has a bunch of gadgets, and wears armor. Strange for a Jedi. Maybe some kind of tech dabbler.” The Inquisitor shrugged. “The Twi’lek tends to try and shield him. I haven’t had the opportunity to fight him.”

“I will continue with the other two,” Triss said. “The third one, the Mirialan. We only have a first name. Arisani. She is stealthy and very proficient in hand to hand combat. I have had squads out on patrol, get ambushed, and by the time reinforcements arrive she is gone, leaving unconscious troopers in her wake. She avoids lethal blows, but doesn’t hesitate when they are necessary.”

“No lightsaber?” Ahsoka asked.

The commander shook his head. “No, ma’am. Either she doesn’t have one or hasn’t shown it. The other two have been seen with them, but they avoid bringing them out. Which is smart. A fistfight is certainly a lower priority than a Jedi attack.”

“I see. Continue,” she replied.

“The last is…” Triss winced. “We try to avoid this one.” A video was displayed, showing a Corellian style freighter lifting off. The first three were shown limping into the ramp before a human female appeared. Standing on the ramp she brought out a rotary blaster cannon, and proceeded to lay waste to the troopers.

“That is _ not _ a Jedi,” Ahsoka said.

“Adelind. She’s the pilot of their merry crew,” Triss said. “Big, muscular, and angry. When we meet her face to face, that is. She is usually found destroying V-wings, but when she is brought out on ground, she tends to lay waste to everything she sees.”

“I thought you said they are hard to find,” Barriss said. “All of these encounters are very loud.”

“These recordings were taken over the past two years, Inquisitor,” the commander said. “As far as we can tell, they show up, do an impressive amount of damage, and then disappear.”

“I have been chasing them ever since they destroyed an outpost in the Expansion region,” Tenth Brother said. “They have eluded me this long, but now I am sure…there is something here. Something they are protecting.”

“Or they think that leaving is not worth the risk,” Ahsoka said. She stared at the holograms for a moment, considering different avenues of attack. “Let’s see what other data we have.”

The group had spent an hour going over data and potential plans when a transmission pinged in Ahsoka’s helmet. It was a Fulcrum channel, dedicated to high priority transmissions. Ahsoka suggested to everyone that a break would be beneficial, and found a nice, quiet corner.

“Fulcrum,” she answered. She was thankful she had set this up beforehand.

“Fulcrum, this is Endar Spire. I was advised that if I encounter any _ special assets _ that you should be informed immediately.”

Special assets. Code for Jedi.

“Speak,” Ahsoka commanded.

“They’re on Taris, and believe that the Empire is about to come down hard to find them.” Speaking openly like this, even with the encrypted channel, was only allowed if assets believed they were imminently threatened. “I’ve been speaking with them from time to time, but they’ve been skittish, until now.” Desperate. They were desperate. “When I asked them how they know the Empire is after them, they said there was a disturbance in the Force. I’m not sure what that means, but they sounded like they knew what they were talking about.”

Ahsoka considered this for a moment. On one hand, she had a direct line to her targets, and could herd them where she wanted. On another, someone would start asking questions. Or would they? The Emperor might be suspicious, but if any of the normal officers asked her where she got her information, ‘the Force told me’ would be a sufficient lie.

“I have them pending on another line,” Endar Spire said. “They did want to speak to you directly, but I wasn’t sure if that was secure.”

“Connect them,” she said. Endar Spire answered in the affirmative and did so. “This is Fulcrum. I’m told you need help?”

“Hello Fulcrum,” a woman with a _ heavy _ core accent said. No modulator though. Brave or inexperienced. “This is Eagle 1. We’ve been in contact with your agent for some time. I’d be happy to discuss how we’ve been helping each other, but I doubt we have the time. The Empire has found us, and we need help.” There was genuine fear in her voice, but she controlled it well.

Ahsoka’s heart began to beat just a bit faster in anticipation. The dark side fed on emotions like fear, and even through the comm, it had gotten a taste.

** _Prey._ **

“I have some assets, but I’ll need to know more about you before I commit them,” Ahsoka said. It paid not to appear too eager.

“There’s just the four of us, but we’re a skilled group that has pulled off a dozen or so jobs against the Empire. We’re good in almost any situation outside fighting a war. Oh, and two of us are Jedi, and we’re training two others. Is that good enough for you?”

Ahsoka waited a moment. “What are we going to be facing?” she asked.

“I’m not sure if you are aware, but the Empire has traitor Jedi among their ranks. Inquisitors, they call themselves. One has been hunting us for months, but he called in backup today. Two more of them, and a Sith Lord. There’s also two star destroyers in orbit.”

She pursed her lips. Strange they didn’t sense her as Sith, but she wasn’t about to complain. “Hmm. I can’t fight the star destroyers, but I can perhaps get you out of danger. I take it your ship is known?” she asked.

Eagle 1 sighed. “Yes. We were spotted when we left our last job. We can’t take off, and we can’t risk running the ships. We’re stuck here. Give us someplace to hide, and we will help whatever thing you have going on.”

Ahsoka’s eyes narrowed for a moment. _ Something _ was new. Something Eagle 1 wasn’t telling her. Still, the effects were the same. They were desperate and willing to trust her, and even join the Rebellion they had so far avoided.

“Alright,” she said. “I can bring a ship in to extract you. Where do you want to meet?” Eagle 1 let out a short sigh of relief before sending over a set of coordinates. “Okay. It will be at least a day before I can reach you.” She paused. “I’ll see if I can get something going elsewhere to maybe draw them away. Until then, stay low, alright?”

“Thank you,” Eagle 1 said. “May the Force be with you.”

Ahsoka smirked before returning to the command holotable. Wordlessly summoned by their leader, everyone followed suit. “I’ve gotten word from one of my informants that the Jedi may be trying to escape soon.”

“Then we should go after them!” Tenth Brother said.

“All I have is an area,” Ahsoka said. “Sector Peth-34-Aure. Go scout it out.”

“I will destroy them,” Tenth said eagerly.

“No,” Ahsoka commanded. “If you see them, you will request Lord Vader’s assistance. You are powerful, Inquisitor, but you are only one man. Facing two Jedi, a martial artist, and a heavy weapons specialist will be too much even for you.” His presence would also make the Jedi antsy and less inclined to scrutinize her deception.

“What will you be doing?” Anakin asked. Ahsoka knew that she could trust him not to kill the Jedi. They were her targets, but everyone had to play their parts. If the Cathar could kill them, they weren’t worthy of her time, anyway.

“Third Sister and I will depart here shortly, and return in a day’s time to ‘rescue’ them. When I get the coordinates, Tenth Brother will lie in wait to push them to us when we land, and Lord Vader will arrive shortly after to ensure they can’t escape. I don’t expect him to be necessary, but if they manage to escape, I doubt they will ever surface again.”

“A trap,” Commander Triss said. “Shall I have support waiting as well?”

“It couldn’t hurt,” Ahsoka said. “One or two gunships, and some troopers. A squadron of V-wings as well. Once I get the coordinates, I’ll transmit them to you.”

“Very good, milady,” the commander said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Morai! We'll see more of him (her?) in a bit. The avian will have a minor role in the story. The Daughter's chosen must still be protected, after all. Especially as long as her interests align with the light side, even in parallel.  
I realize much of what I type contradicts my little "headcanon on the dark side" thing I posted. Here's the thing though, the story is mostly from the perspective of the characters. Perception is a powerful thing; your focus determines your reality, after all. One person's dark side is another person's poor emotional growth.  
The Tenth Brother and these new Jedi characters are all creations of myself and a few friends of mine during a campaign of a Star Wars tabletop rpg. If you're into such things, I was using the Fantasy Flight series, which I highly recommend. The heroes are very loose emulations, but you can get the gist. No, they are not long for this world, as I could never do them justice in writing them.  
The bombing on Kuat is canon, I just hijacked it for my own purposes.  
We are nearing the end of this arc. There are two more chapters left, plus an intermission chapter full of short scenes. Then it will be awhile before more is posted. I'll consider giving a teaser after the intermission.


	9. Who We Are

**The ** ** _Siren_ **

“I had never been to Alderaan before,” Barriss said. “It’s very beautiful.” She stretched in the copilot’s chair, passively feeling at the clothes she had on. It had been a long time since she wore anything other than Inquisitor armor or a prisoner’s jumpsuit. The dress they had picked up on the way wasn’t exactly Mirialan, but it felt good to not be marked as something. To be a bit like herself once again. “Though, why there? Why not store your ship on Coruscant?”

“I don’t want Palpatine’s cronies eventually finding it and messing with it,” Ahsoka said. The ship, a HWK-290 freighter, was already hurtling through hyperspace and back to Taris.

“Is this about your informants?” Barriss asked.

Ahsoka shrugged. “Partially. I can’t have him getting his sticky fingers on them. I only really just got the whole thing started. I don’t want to have to purge them any more than I have to.”

“What do you mean?”

The Sith sighed. “My contact on Taris. They don’t know who their handler is aside from a codename, but if they see us kill the Jedi, I’ll need to get rid of them.”

“Or else they might asking questions.” Barriss nodded. “Is it really necessary, though?”

“I can’t risk information like that spreading.”

“Fair enough,” Barriss said. “So what are we going to do?”

“Simple,” Ahsoka said. “We land, stab the Jedi in the back, kill their friends, and leave.”

The cold way in which Ahsoka described her premeditated murder perturbed the Mirialan. “You really have changed,” Barriss said quietly.

Ahsoka, who was idly switching between different readouts on a terminal, suddenly froze. She looked up, considering what to say. “Yes, I have,” she settled on.

They maintained silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the ship’s hyperdrive. “How did you fall?” Barriss finally asked.

Ahsoka froze again for a moment before leaning back into her chair. “Tell me how you fell first,” she said, turning her chair towards her friend.

Barriss frowned as apprehension filled her. She had made her speech to the court years ago, and while her passion was on full display then, it did not properly convey exactly what had gone on behind the scenes. “The war,” she started. “It…” She let out a long sigh. “We- the Jedi. We were trained to be peacekeepers. Not soldiers. I told you I was on the healer track before the war, but that obviously didn’t happen. I was on Geonosis, did you know that?” The look that Ahsoka gave her implied she misunderstood, as they had taken a mission together at the _ Second _ Battle of Geonosis. “The first time. I was part of the strike team.”

Ahsoka watched her impassively, though there was a hint of softness in her eyes. “I see.”

Her friend’s stare made her feel uneasy, but she continued. “Master Luminara didn’t force me to go, of course. She said it was very dangerous and…” She smiled uneasily. “It was.” It immediately faltered into a sad frown. “I’d never seen so many bodies in one place before. Felt so many deaths. I…” She sucked in a breath and looked away shamefully. “I think it happened there. Right at the start of the war. I felt...dead inside. At first I thought I was simply being an excellent Jedi. Being detached and ensuring that I wasn’t affected but...as the war went on I found myself unable to meditate properly. I found myself getting angrier and angrier at things that I shouldn’t have. I thought it was the war or just...the Sith, maybe.”

“Did you speak to Luminara about it?” Ahsoka asked.

Barriss shook her head with a mirthless smile. “No. She was always busy and I didn’t want to bother her.” She let out a mirthless laugh. “Maybe if I hadn’t been so nervous about bothering her I wouldn’t have bombed the temple.” She shook her head. “After awhile well...you heard my speech. I was certain that the Jedi were prolonging the war but, if I had actually thought about it instead of being blinded by my anger I would have probably figured it out. That it was Palpatine all along.”

“He fooled us all,” Ahsoka said. “The whole galaxy. Even the High Council. There’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

“I’m not _ ashamed, _ Ahsoka, I’m furious!” Barriss’ eyes flashed with hatred for a moment. “When he let me out of the cell and told me what he had done, I couldn’t help myself. Until then I thought I was still fine. That perhaps my anger was just incidental but…” She shook her head. “I tried to kill him, but for all my power he swatted me aside like an insect.” Another laugh huffed out of her mouth. “When I pulled myself up, I saw a reflection of myself in some glass and…” She gestured to her eyes. “I quit pretending then. He offered me a place to bring peace to the galaxy, and I was so angry and confused I just…” She slouched in defeat. “I gave in.” Her head hung, only to rise as she felt Ahsoka take a hand in hers. Her friends eyes were soft and not unkind, not pitying, just understanding.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Ahsoka said. “It’s natural you felt these things.”

“But the Jedi-”

“Are _ hypocrites _,” Ahsoka spat. Her eyes hardened, but only for a moment. She pulled Barriss’ hand into her lap, and began stroking it lightly. “I turned because you were right, Barriss. The Jedi were nothing but an army fighting for the dark side. Anakin told me what happened. He said that when everything was falling apart for them, they turned their backs on their ideals. The Council tried to overthrow the Republic. Master Windu wanted to execute the Chancellor. Obi-Wan…” She hesitated. that was private. “Obi-Wan wasn’t an exception,” she settled on.

“They showed him that there was no difference between the Jedi and the Sith. To me, that means the only thing that matters is power.” She squeezed her friend’s hand. “Power, and the rules we set for ourselves.”

“I thought that being Sith was about not needing to follow any rules,” Barriss said.

“You’re right,” Ahsoka said. “_ The Force will set me free. _ The last line of the Code. Whatever I want, I can do. Any failure is just a lack of power on my part. That also means I’m free to restrict myself however I want. I won’t be a monster, Barriss.” She gave a warning look to the Mirialan. “I won’t suffer monsters under me, either.”

Barriss’ mouth parted slightly. “Ahsoka I wouldn’t-”

“The Sixth Brother tortured a friend of mine just to draw me in,” Ahsoka said. “That’s fine. Torture, murder, whatever you need to do, do it, but only if it’s for a reason. If I catch you killing or torturing for _ fun _, we’re going to have a problem, understand?”

Shock washed over Barriss, followed by red faced anger as she tore her hand away and shot up from her seat. “I may be fallen but I am _ not _ some sadistic creature!” she shouted. The corner of Ahsoka’s mouth pulled slightly as she realized she misstepped, but she didn’t apologize. With a frustrated shout, Barriss stomped out of the cockpit, the door seeming to slam shut behind her.

Ahsoka shook her head in mild frustration. She had pushed too far, and now Barriss was angry. She should apologize but...later. After her friend has had time to calm down. _ She _ needed to calm down as well, and hide her darkness under a blanket of light. If they showed up at the hangar reeking of the dark side, they could easily find themselves outnumbered against four partially trained Force sensitives. Even without lightsabers, the two non-Jedi could resist the Force, and could potentially overwhelm them if the Force was with them.

Closing her eyes, Ahsoka slowly sank into her old Jedi meditation. Anger, hate, fear, all of it slowly melted from her and into the Force. The darkness permeating the galaxy quietly called to her, asking to be grasped and embraced once more, but she gently admonished it- admonished _ herself _ for being tempted. Running in and swinging her lightsaber, no matter the power of the dark side, would lead only to failure. Time passed, and she felt Barriss notice her actions from back in the living area, and joined her at a distance. She could feel her friend’s anger and frustrations at her, but didn’t judge. Ahsoka wronged her, and she was entitled to her outrage.

To pretend that such emotion was something to be avoided was unnatural. The Jedi had a point, that fear and anger could destroy a person, but they misunderstood how to ultimately prevent that. Avoidance could work, and it did work, for the most part. However there were always those that it didn’t work for _ -Anakin- _ and when they were truly challenged and the Jedi teachings failed? They didn’t have anything to fall back on. The Jedi put everything they had into releasing their emotions into the Force, and when their bet failed, it always ended disastrously.

She had just begun wondering why the Jedi never changed when there was a quiet noise at the edge of her perception. She calmly opened her eyes, and sitting in the copilot’s chair was a round, green and white bird roughly the size of her head. It peered at her curiously, and cooed quietly. Ahsoka blinked. That couldn’t be right. There were no birds on her ship, and certainly not in the small cockpit.

What was more, the Force quietly swirled around the bird. Carefully, Ahsoka reached out and stroked the bird, finding it solid as it quietly cooed. Not a hallucination or illusion, then. She wasn’t sure if that was better or worse. “Who are you?” she asked, only to smirk as she got a quiet chirp in response. It was too much to ask for a talking bird, it seemed.

“Want to come sit in my lap?” she asked, patting her leg. The bird, seemingly able to understand, jumped over and huddled close to her belly. Ahsoka absentmindedly stroked the bird, not sure what else to do. “So was that you on Taris?” she asked. Naturally, she received no response. There was something about this bird. Something familiar. “Where have I seen you before…” she muttered. Nothing immediately came to mind, though.

“Though the real question is ‘why are you here.’ Do you want me to not kill the Jedi?” she asked. The bird seemed to perk up at that, and gently pecked at one of her weapons. She gently grabbed the bird and pulled her away, lest the avian accidentally switch it on. “Sorry birdie, but the Jedi have to die.”

The bird cawed shrilly in response.

“Nope.” She smiled, something only slightly cruel. “Unless you can convince me with words, I’m gonna do it.” The bird gently pecked at her and shot her an accusing look. In the blink of an eye, Ahsoka’s hands were around the beast, and she brought it up to eye level to glare at it. “It’s not a good idea to do that.” The bird cooed sadly.

The door to the cockpit opened behind Ahsoka, and she turned to see Barriss standing there, looking at her oddly.

“Ahsoka, who are you speaking to?” Barriss asked. The Togruta extended her hands, only to find them empty. A scowl pulled at her face, but only for a moment.

“Apparently I was having a vision,” she said, irritated.

“A vision?” Barriss asked, immediately interested. She sat back down in the copilot’s chair, eyes wide with interest.

“A bird, white and pastel green. It was round and chubby, and had a short beak.”

“That sounds like a convor,” Barriss said. “Thought they’re usually brown or tan.” The brought a finger to her chin, searching her brain. It sounded familiar, from her classes, but she couldn’t immediately place it. “I know I’ve heard of something like this before, but I can’t remember what. What did it want?”

“I think it wanted me to not kill the Jedi.” She shrugged. “I’m not feeling any warnings from the Force though. Not directly.”

“Is a vision not a direct warning, though?” Barriss asked.

Inwardly, Ahsoka scowled. She wasn’t about to tell Barriss she hallucinated. Even if the bird felt real. “It didn’t say or do anything, really. It just kind of hopped around and cooed at me.”

“Mmm.” Barriss shrugged lightly. “If only Master Yoda was here. I’m sure he would have the answer.”

Ahsoka gave her a flat look. “Of course. His answer would be “kill the Jedi, you should not” and “turn away from the dark side, you should.”

Barriss snerked and smiled. “Yes, I suppose he would say that.” There was a moment of silence, both of them glancing at one another.

“I’m sorry.” “I shouldn’t have-”

They both stopped speaking, waiting for the other to begin.

“I was-” “I can-”

Again they went silent, until Ahsoka gestured for Barriss to go first.

“I shouldn’t have reacted like that. When you told me that you wouldn’t allow monsters underneath you? I thought I would be better than that, but I _ did _ bomb a hangar with civilians in it. You _ should _ be wary of me.”

Ahsoka took a breath to apologize as well, but as she thought about it, the more Barriss made sense. Unbalanced darksiders didn’t think things through and hurt others needlessly. “Are you going to do that again without thinking through the consequences?” she asked.

“No, of course not,” Barriss said.

“Then I have nothing to worry about,” Ahsoka replied. “Like I said, Barriss. Do what needs to be done. As long as the death and destruction has a purpose, I’m fine with it.” She paused. “Just...avoid it if you can. People like Tarkin and Palpatine go to the brutal option first. We need people to back us. We can’t do that if we slaughter our way to the top.”

** _Hypocrite_ **, the Force said in amusement. She ignored the admonishment.

“Well...we could,” Barriss said. Ahsoka knew she was somewhat joking, but she gave her friend a flat look anyway. “What? I always preferred solving problems with my lightsaber.”

Ahsoka huffed a laugh. “Modest Barriss, the poster girl Padawan, _ liked _ aggressive negotiations?”

She blushed and smiled. “Is it really that surprising?”

“Well, yes I-” The ship beeped at them, signalling that their hyperjump was nearing completing. “Nevermind. We can talk about it later.” She brought the ship out of hyperspace, revealing Taris’ cityscape surface. Immediately in front of them were two star destroyers, and within half a minute they were being hailed.

_ “This is the star destroyer _ Exactor _ to the _ Siren _ . Travel to and from Taris is currently restricted. Submit your identification.” _

Ahsoka scowled. This shouldn’t have happened. It meant that their targets were now a flight risk. “Submitting now.” She sent her Imperial credentials, and allowed a few seconds to pass. “Connect me to Commander Triss, please.”

There was a moment of pause. “Yes, milady.” The comm cut, and they waited for a moment for the call to connect. Meanwhile, Ahsoka lazily approached the planet. “Triss,” the commander said.

“Commander, why is there a half lockdown on space travel?” she politely demanded.

“Ah, my apologies, milady, I-” His voice was trembling with fear.

“Explanations first, Commander.” Her voice remained steady.

“The Tenth Brother was slightly overzealous in his scouting, milady. He may have ignored your orders to remain hidden and has attacked them.”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, and Barriss quietly facepalmed. “How is this your fault?” she asked.

“You...sounded displeased with my attempt to keep them on planet, milady.”

The Sith shook her head. Leave it to the Empire to make proactive actions a life risk. “I was until you explained the situation. You did fine, Commander. Is the Inquisitor there?”

“No, milady. He seemed to be quite concerned when he realized what he did. He is now actively hunting them. Shall I tell him to pull back?”

“No. Let him push the Jedi. Standby, I will see if I can find out where they are going.”

“Very good, milady.” Triss was obviously relieved.

“So much for our plan,” Barriss said.

“It’s still on,” Ahsoka said, keying in the comm channel for the Jedi. “This is Fulcrum, are you all still alive?”

‘Fulcrum?’ Barriss mouthed. Ahsoka simply shook her head.

“Ah, Fulcrum!” It was Eagle 1. “Oh just fighting an Inquisitor and his Sith friend. Yes we’re all alive, though a bit worse for wear. Please tell me you’re here to pick us up?”

Anakin engaged them? “Affirmative, Eagle 1. Just send me a pickup spot and we’ll come get you.” He must have simply been pressuring them, or believed they might escape. Either way, he knew what he was doing. The Tenth Brother was hungry for recognition. He would be punished for this…somehow.

“Before we do that,” a male voice said. “How did you get past the blockade? There’s a half lockdown in effect.” A true lockdown would have stopped anyone, but a city planet like Taris would be extremely affected by that. Disrupting billions of credits in trade was not worth two criminals. Even Jedi.

“I know people,” Ahsoka said. “These people can get me access codes. The Imperials let me through, no questions asked.”

There was silence for a moment. “Fine,” the male said. “I guess we don’t have a choice,” he said, growing fainter as he left the microphone’s range.

“How quickly can you get to this hangar?” Ahsoka asked.

“Ten minutes or so?” Eagle 1 said. “The Empire is out looking for us. We’re nearby, but we’ll need to take it safe unless you want to get in a dogfight.”

“Okay, but I can’t stay here for long,” Ahsoka said. “I don’t want to attract attention. Start heading there now. I should be there about the time you arrive.”

Eagle one sent an acknowledgement, and Ahsoka cut the comm.

“This is quite the trap you’ve planned,” Barriss said.

Ahsoka just hummed at the comment. It was happening. Truly happening. She felt her skin start to tingle as her heart began to slowly speed up. The dark side gently purred and rubbed up against her, eager to be loosed upon her quarry. This was different than her slaughter of the villagers. Her brethren were hardly a threat at all against her. These two Jedi would be a challenge. A test of her skills.

** _Claim your kills._ **

“_ I _have to kill the Jedi,” Ahsoka said. “For my training.”

“Okay,” Barriss said without hesitation. “Whatever you need. You want me to kill the others?”

The Sith nodded, and as she brought the ship in further and further, a smile crept on her face. Not in anticipation of a fight or kill, but at just the absurdity of it all. Eventually she burst out laughing, and Barriss looked at her with an uncertain smile.

“Look at us. Two former Jedi, casually talking about murder,” Ahsoka said between laughs.

“Yes...I suppose it is ridiculous, isn’t it?” Barriss said, joining in on the laughter.

Their laughter continued on as they grew closer and closer to the world, making comments about how silly the serious situation was. Commander Triss certainly was baffled by the amusement in his lady’s voice, but obeyed when she ordered the reinforcements to start moving in. Finally as they slowly descended into the hangar bay, they felt the four frantic signatures approaching them. They quickly reigned in their amusement and headed down to the boarding ramp. Ahsoka wore her lightsabers openly, while Barriss hid hers within her dress. They would recognize an Inquisitor’s blade instantly, and it wouldn’t pay for them to be immediately outed.

They stood at the top of the ramp, just far down enough to see the entrance to the hangar. The fear and apprehension of the four neophytes was ever palpable as they approached. The sound of blaster fire began to echo into the cavernous chamber, along with the faint buzz of a lightsaber. They were running and fighting.

Ahsoka’s heart began to race. There was no conflict or hesitation. Just anticipation. She idly touched her weapons, ready to call them to her palms. “Sounds like they’re in trouble,” she said, keeping the ruse up. She waved Barriss to follow, her friend following behind her, hands outside her pockets, but nearby. The Human gunner and Mirialan came through first, firing shots off slowly with their blasters. Behind them were the Jedi, the red skinned Twi’lek in a retreat duel. Her style was graceful and so reminiscent of Dooku. Next to her was the Human male, standing at her side and...mostly defending. He wielded what appeared to be a training saber, if what she was hearing and seeing was correct. It made sense now why he played a supporting role. The large pack on his back definitely wouldn’t have helped him if he was the primary duelist, anyway.

** _Weak. No challenge._ **

“You two, get on the ship!” Ahsoka ordered, pulling the attention of the two blaster wielders. When they saw her call her lightsabers from their resting places, they seemed to assume she knew what she was doing. With a paired nod, they ran past Ahsoka, and right to Barriss’ waiting hands.

The Human snuck a glance at Ahsoka, recognition, surprise, and then confidence washing over his face. He stepped to the side to allow her entry into the melee, his focus trained entirely on the obvious enemy.

** _Pounce._ **

He only caught a flash of red before searing pain radiated out from the side of his torso. Behind them, two cries of surprise, pain, then death echoed as the Inquisitor cut down their apprentices mercilessly. The Twi’lek stepped to the side in surprise, the Force crying out in danger. Her head snapped to her new enemy, but far too late. She parried once, only to have her guard pushed away by one red blade, leaving her wide open for the other. She winced, and looked down, seeing a beam of red light buried in her chest. Attached to it was an orange Togruta that both she and her partner had known well, as a child knows a heroine. Pain, surprise, betrayal, and finally darkness overtook her, and she slumped to the ground.

Darth Venatrix stared blankly at the two Jedi as life left them. The Cathar Inquisitor approached, saying something irrelevant, but she quickly sushed the man, and he complied. She put her weapons away and bent down. The Twi’lek was still, her heart burned away by the lightsaber. Venatrix curiously poked at the woman’s cheek before taking an arm, lifting it, and letting it fall to the ground. Morbid curiosity filled her as she prodded the corpse for a few moments longer, as if wanting it to get back up. She turned her attention to the human, who had passed out from pain, but was rapidly fading. She could feel his essence leaching out into the Force, and instinctively she reached out to it, drawing it into herself. She felt what little fatigue she had fade, and a vague sense of almost satiation.

** _A delicious snack. Is there more?_ **

Then, the fleeting feeling was gone, and she stood up. Anger and disgust welled, and made themselves known as she shifted her bloodshot gaze onto the Inquisitor. Normally she wouldn’t allow it, but this time, she let them flood her. She was so very, very angry at the outcome. Killing the Jedi was pathetically easy. Yes, she did stab them in the back. Yes, she did lay a trap. She was expecting them to suddenly realize, though. She wanted them to _ fight _ . The Twi’lek noticed at the last second, but that wasn’t a duel. She wanted to cross blades, to _ play with her food _. The way she executed them was far too quick and easy.

** _Disappointment._ **

She called the fallen Jedi’s lightsabers to her hands and lit them. A curved hilt green blade, built for the Twi’lek’s Makashi preference. An unremarkable blue training blade, wielded by the former Initiate. There was no victory here. No satisfaction. Face blank, she clipped them to her belt.

“Inquisitor.” Her voice was deep and growling. “You disobeyed my command.” Behind her, Barriss approached, slightly apprehensive as the dark side radiated from her master. “Explain.”

The Cathar’s ears pulled back against his head. “I...was discovered, master. I thought that if they got away, we would lose them. I had to act.”

**“A lie.”** Her voice seemed almost inhuman as she let the dark side speak for her. Behind her, Barriss stepped back. The predator had been denied her playtime, and needed an outlet. The feline retreated as Ahsoka stalked forward, and he brought out his weapon in defense. It would never find itself used, however, as the Sith shot her hand out like a claw, lifting the darksider into the air by the throat, her power smashing through the Inquisitor’s weak defense.

She watched with detachment as the being slowly died, listening to his gasps for breath and strangled struggling, only to let up and allow his body to force him to breathe. She squeezed again, watched him almost pass out, and allowed him respite once more.

“Ahsoka, you said you-” Barriss went silent as Ahsoka slowly turned her head and stared at the woman, eyes dead and hungry. “Nevermind.” She slowly retreated and watched her friend slowly kill her plaything, only to let him live, over and over. Eventually, stormtroopers arrived, along with Lord Vader. It was only when they showed up that she released the Cathar, bending down and quietly into his ear.

“You will return to your brothers and sisters, and tell them what you did and what your punishment was. If they do not understand the price for crossing me, you will _ wish _ I had killed you.” Perhaps most eerily, she did not sound angry. If anything, she sounded kind. “Understand?”

“Yes, yes Master!” Tenth Brother sputtered. She got up and shooed him away, and watched as Anakin approached her.

“You did not kill him.” It was a statement.

“What would be the point of that?” she asked, deadpan.

“He disobeyed you. You should not tolerate it.”

“He is more useful to me alive, and explaining to his brethren how silly it is to be disobedient.”

Anakin studied her for a moment. She had, up until now, maintained a relative similarity to her usual self, but this…this was Darth Venatrix standing next to him. He wondered if this was temporary, or permanent. He wasn’t sure which would be better in the long term. Her attitude had helped ground him. To remind him that he was not alone. That he had a partner. A friend. The creature that stood next to him was not that.

His eyes snapped to Offee, and he watched in amazement as she dared approach the dark woman. Slowly she put a hand on Venatrix’s shoulder, the Sith flinching in surprise. It seemed she was so steeped in the dark side and her own anger she didn’t even notice.

“Master, we should go,” Offee said. Her voice was steady, but Anakin easily sensed her trepidation. Venatrix turned her head and stared at the Inquisitor blankly, fingers gently clenching and opening as she decided what to do. A hand shot out and seized the Mirialan by the neck, and he could see her squeezing gently as she stared dispassionately, like a customer inspecting a cut of meat. Offee didn’t flinch though, just frowning with a soft look in her eyes.

“Ahsoka,” the Inquisitor said softly. The Force twitched as the Togruta realized what was happening, and she slowly removed her hand from the woman’s neck. Offee gently grabbed one of the Sith’s arms, and began to lead her into the freighter parked in the hangar. Ahsoka glanced back for a moment, only for Barriss to gently turn her head back to the vessel. Slowly, an orange arm wrapped around the green woman’s waist, pulling her close, before a white and blue striped head leaned over on her friend’s shoulder. 

Anakin watched. That is not a possessive grasp. It was something much more pure. Perhaps there was more to their relationship than his partner cared to admit. He watched the ship leave shortly thereafter, and he turned to follow suit. The troopers could handle cleanup.

A small cry drew his attention. He stopped and turned, trying to find the source. He heard it again, weak and quiet. He waited once more, only to find it attached to the body of the human male. Two troopers were hauling him onto a repulsor for later disposal. He approached, turning him over. Another cry, this one coming from a pack. Vader quickly opened it and looked inside, only to freeze as he saw what was inside.

A human child, not even a year old. Gently, Anakin brought the infant out, watching it squirm in his hands. The Force was drawn to the...girl? Yes, that seemed right. Anakin had stolen more than a few children ever since he had been brought into the Emperor’s employ, and they had always wailed at his touch. This one though. She was silent. Perhaps...yes, this was the first child he had held after reuniting with Ahsoka. The dark side had lost its edge around him, and the youngling seemed content with this.

He gingerly brushed at the baby’s scarlet red hair, a profound sense of loss tearing at him. Padmé was going to have a daughter. He knew it to be true. She claimed her mother’s intuition said a boy, but he had the Force, and it said there was a girl.

A girl that died with her mother. The mother that _ he _ killed. The daughter that _ he _ killed. He had taken two lives needlessly that day.

This girl, if he followed protocol, would die as well. Project Harvester took in all Force sensitives the Empire located, even infants such as this one. Whoever she would have been would be destroyed by the dark side’s wrath.

“My lord, do you need me to take care of that?” a trooper asked. Anakin turned and looked at the soldier, teeth clenched as defensive rage began to surround him. Just like that though, he let it go. The man was simply doing his duty to offer assistance to a superior. Still yet, he clutched the child a bit more tightly out of reflex.

“No, trooper,” he said. “This child falls under the purview of Project Harvester. I will deal with it.” There, that sounded sufficiently detached. The trooper left his lord, and Anakin pulled the pack off of the male’s shoulders. If the child was in there, there was likely care products as well. He left the scene to the troopers to clean up. He doubted there was anything more to do there.

Back on his ship- _ his ship, _ he sat the child down in his office. The officers had given him looks, but none of them questioned their lord’s actions, and none of them reported to Palpatine. It squirmed lightly on his desk, obviously cold. Unceremoniously he dumped the pack’s contents onto the ground, and quickly found a blanket. Gently, perhaps too gently, he swaddled the girl in it. The lessons Padmé had demanded he take finally had come to use.

She was so...so tiny. She squirmed and struggled before pulling an arm out and grasping at the air. Anakin didn’t know why, but he reached out with his hand and let her grab a finger. Surprise filled him as the child pulled his hand close to her, an uncanny strength at the core of the youngling. Strong in the Force, strong in spirit, and he was sure she would be strong physically as well. The Inquisitorius would destroy that and replace it with hollow obedience.

It was decided. The child was his. He would raise her in honor of the daughter that perished with her mother. With a hidden smile, he gently tickled the child’s belly, the grin growing as she squirmed even more. Yes. The child would be his.

“Hello-” he froze. He didn’t even know the child’s name. Quickly he turned to the pile of care products in search of it. Perhaps the parents, presumably the Human and the Twi’lek, had the foresight to leave it in the pack in case they perished. Diapers, food, cleaning products, all were pushed aside until he located what he needed. A holopicture of the group of Jedi, including their apprentices. The Twi’lek was holding the child. A caption at the bottom listed their names. Tenzi Phere, Kal’tar Madrin, Arisani Taphalt, Adelind Sookye, and a fifth…

Mara Jade Madrin.

Name learned, he considered destroying the device. She would never know the two that created her, but he stopped. No. That was the way of the Jedi, to cut off the child from the family. They may have been criminals, but perhaps, when she is older, she will be shown the truth.

As he returned to the squirming child, he found her getting fussy. Gently picking Mara Jade up, he tried gently rocking the girl, hoping that would be enough. Alas, it was not. As the cries began, he immediately froze, unsure of what to do. Likely possibilities were food and changing. He should look there first.

As he unswaddled the girl, he was struck with a sudden realization.

He had no idea how he was going to raise a child, plot a coup, and do the bidding of the man he was attempting to overthrow. He needed help. Ahsoka would help. Probably, but she had the same problem. He would need a nanny, supplies, a room. Mara Jade would need to be educated, both conventionally and in the Force. He would see to the latter, and getting a tutor for the former wouldn’t be too difficult. She would also need other children her age-

He slumped into one of the chairs. What had he just gotten himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags will be updated today.
> 
> So! Some things certainly happened in this chapter.  
We now see where the tags "Realizing you've gone off the deep end" and "Then going deeper" show up. Ahsoka and Barriss, murder buddies! Yay!
> 
> Morai is certainly a thing. They'll show up later, but for now the bird could be seen as a manifestation of Ahsoka's conscience trying to tell her to do the right thing. We'll see.
> 
> Alas, team Eagle, we hardly knew ye. With Darth Vader and an Inquisitor on one side, and what appears to be safety on another, what would you do?
> 
> And it's here we see Ahsoka actually going pitch black. We haven't seen it because of my writing preferences, but she's actually been slowly building up to this. She was absolutely ready for a fight. For a challenge. Nope. None of that. All that anticipation had to go somewhere, though. Seeing as the Tenth Brother had potentially ruined her plan, he was the most obvious target.
> 
> And Barriss...you brave, gurl. Still, she saw that Ahsoka was spiraling into exactly what she said she did not want, and extended a hand to stop her. That's what friends do, right?
> 
> Now the biggest bantha in the room. Mara Jade.  
Wookieepedia does not have an origin for the woman. Just that her birthdate is sometime in 17 BBY, and that she was taken from her parents before being "raised" by Palpatine. I take that reality and add my own. Also we see some of the inner machinations of Anakin, here. Obviously he is still hurting from the events of Revenge of the Sith. Ahsoka is the only real person he has anymore. She's slowly worn him down, or rather, she's building him back up. In my opinion, canon Vader is so violent because he is in constant pain and grief, and the galaxy should share in that pain, in his eyes. His former Padawan is soothing that pain, dulling it. His first instinct upon seeing a child such as this isn't "I lost mine, so others are not worthy either," but "I lost mine, what would my beloved have thought if I allowed another to be lost?"
> 
> Hence, impulse adoption.
> 
> Also, in true Skywalker fashion, he has no idea what he is doing.


	10. Forging Ahead

**Imperial Palace**

Darth Sidious was pleased.

He stood in the training room, silently watching as Venatrix fought against the droids. Her strikes were fast, strong, and filled with fury. The droids were set to their highest level, and yet were merely a match for the fallen Padawan. Something had happened during the mission to kill the Jedi. She was successful, that was easily obvious. The report he read from the garrison commander remarked that her plan to trap the Jedi went flawlessly, and they were slain and disposed of.

And yet…

Venatrix had changed. She practically radiated dissatisfaction, her slightly odd golden eyes were stained around the rims with red, and her insolent personality had been set aside as she allowed the dark side almost full reign on her. He doubted that this would be permanent. She had made her intentions clear during her little taste of power he allowed her on the throne. She wanted to be a _ just _ ruler. Perhaps with time, he could push her into accepting this state indefinitely. Then, she would be a perfect Sith. No pathetic mercy or restraint.

Perhaps a taste of power that encouraged this would help.

“Apprentice,” he said. Her demonstration against the droid was enough, and the exhaustion he felt from her was half filled with satisfaction. _ Ah, she wanted a fight _. A slight smile pulled at his lips. A hungry apprentice was easier to control.

Irritation flared around her, and she stepped back before ordering the droids to disengage. Wiping sweat from her brow, she replaced her white bladed weapons onto her kama before moving over to her master, and kneeling. “Master.” She looked up at him with eyes that carried hints of pure, Sith sulfur, the dark side flowing through her readily. She hadn’t let it go, like she usually did. Very good.

“I heard you were successful in your task,” he said.

“Yes, Master. The Jedi are dead.” She was frowning, but not out regret or sadness. She reached behind her and presented a pair of lightsabers. One curved hilt, and one that he easily recognized as a training blade. Sidious took them in his hands and ignited them. He scowled slightly when he noted that one of them was confirmed to set to a permanent, non-lethal state. Whoever wielded it was hardly a Jedi Knight. Barely even worthy of killing. Based on how wanting Venatrix seemed, she shared his disposition. Still, training blade or not, she completed her task. He ordered her to kill two Jedi and bring him their crystals. That is what she did.

“You have done as I bid,” Sidious said. “Tell me of the fight.”

“It..._ wasn’t _,” she growled. “I led them into a trap. They were too focused on the Inquisitor to even think I was a threat. I stabbed one in the back, and the other lasted two seconds. I was…” She let out an irritated sigh.

“You were looking for a fight. A challenge,” Sidious said. She nodded. “It felt beneath you.” Again, she nodded. “You are correct, Venatrix. The remains of the Jedi are the ones that ran or hid. The weak ones. Not the strongest. Vermin to be exterminated. Hardly worthy of your talents.” He tossed the sabers to the ground like the trash they were. “There are only three Jedi left that could pose a threat to you. Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Shaak Ti. However they are smart enough to not get caught. Search for them if you wish, but I would rather not have wasted my time in training you after they kill you, Venatrix.”

She shot him an acidic scowl.

“Don’t get overconfident, Apprentice. All of them were High Councillors, and Yoda held his own against _ me _. All three of them would destroy you in an instant. Think about that before you go looking for a fight.”

She looked down and nodded. “Yes, Master.”

“Very good.” He reached out and gave his obedient Apprentice her reward. Watching her press into the pleasure he granted her with an animalistic fervor was most pleasing. With time, perhaps years, he was sure he could eventually secure her loyalty completely. He always ended it just short of satisfying her. Just like now. “Rise,” he said, and so she did.

“You have completed your task, and thus I have your desired reward.” From his robes, he produced a red crystalline pyramid that was accented with gold. A Sith holocron. He watched approvingly as a hungry glint shone in the Togruta’s eyes. It seemed that his efforts to instill a craving for power in the girl had borne fruit. Excellent. He handed it over without a word, allowing her to examine the device with a slight sense of awe.

“That holocron contains the information on how to create synthetic lightsaber crystals,” Sidious said.

“Synthetic?” Venatrix asked. “I thought synthetic kybers were unstable.”

Sidious smiled. “They are. The type of crystals you will be forging are synthetic _ adegan _ crystals.” The way Venatrix’s face hardened after a slight shock was amusing. “I see you are aware of them.”

Her mouth opened for a moment before she regained control of herself. “Adegans were the most powerful lightsaber crystals the Jedi used. Before Ossus was destroyed,” she added.

“You are correct,” Sidious said. “For some time, Sith wielded lightsabers far more powerful than any kyber fueled Jedi weapon. A handful of Jedi saw the wisdom in using these synthetic crystals, but most of them instead bowed to _ tradition _.” He scoffed. “Leave it to the Jedi to weaken themselves simply because it is supposedly better for their position as peacekeepers.”

“Why did the Sith stop, then?” she asked. A fair question.

“Refining a crystal with the method you hold in your hands sends out tremors in the Force. Tremors the Jedi would have felt, and far greater in strength than simply bleeding existing kybers. Seeing as the way of the Sith had changed from destruction and confrontation to stealth and subterfuge, it was a necessary sacrifice.” He paused for a moment, considering. Yes, it was time. She had faithfully done as he had asked for months. It was time for her to learn something of substance.

“Follow.” He turned and left, the apprentice trailing behind him. “Normally I would caution you against attaching yourself to your weapons, Venatrix, but I am intrigued by your progress. Your decision to work _ with _ the Force instead of enslaving it is heretical, but being Sith is about innovation and change. If your way is stronger, then it is _ right _. When I taught Maul, I instructed him that a lightsaber was just a tool. An instrument of murder. However you, like Vader, see your weapons as something to be used only against the worthy, yes?”

He was referring to her lackluster murder, and she knew it. “It was...boring. To kill the Jedi.”

“As it should have been, Venatrix. Filth like that is not worthy of your time and skills. In that instance, you were an exterminator cleansing vermin. Much like the man that makes a living killing infestations of rats, you would find chasing creatures with a knife to be beneath you, yes?”

She looked at him, not quite sure where he was going with this, but agreed. “Of course.” The notion of her running down rodents to kill with her lightsabers was easily the most silly thing she could think of, and the smirk she wore showed it. As she thought about it though, she supposed she could apply that metaphor to the Jedi or- well almost anyone really.

He brought out his own weapon and ignited it. “Lightsabers have their purpose. After all, only true masters of the Force can block their blows with their bare hands. You will eventually master every Form as I require, because a deficiency in the Jedi’s main weapon is a weakness you cannot afford.” He put his weapon away. “If you wish to destroy something, you should be as efficient as possible. Like the exterminator’s poison, you must learn to wield the Force as a weapon. Like a Sith.”

Possibilities flashed through her mind. She could already do that if she wished. Choking the life out of that Inquisitor was all too easy, and she doubted that almost any other enemy she encountered could resist her any more than him. As he said, most of the threatening Jedi died during the opening volleys of the purge. Most of the Jedi she was due to encounter in the future would likely not be much stronger than the two she slaughtered not even a week ago.

“You’re going to teach me Force lightning?” she asked.

“I am going to teach you how to _ kill _, Venatrix. Force lightning is a part of that, yes.” They stopped outside a room. One she hadn’t seen the inside of yet. “In order to properly generate lightning, you must be able to feel enough hatred that it is ready to burst forth from you. To make it easier, it is often best to find a target that you truly loathe.” He opened the door, revealing yet another training room, albeit one bare of tools and weapons. It had been cleared out after the purge. Standing in the middle was a black clad warrior, one Venatrix recognized instantly.

“Eighth Brother,” Sidious said smoothly, walking in, motioning his apprentice to follow. The Inquisitor turned, and immediately froze upon seeing Venatrix’s presence. “Thank you so much for waiting here,” he continued with a friendly tone. The glare that the apprentice was giving the Inquisitor easily cancelled it out, however.

“You have been most informative. Lord Vader’s taking of an apprentice would be quite alarming, as is their seizing of the Inquisitorius for their own ends. However…” He grinned. “I am afraid this information was already known to me, and I so dislike having my time wasted. So I have decided to leave your fate up to your master, here.” He gestured to Venatrix who, if she knew how to use the Force to _ look _ someone to death, would have been doing so.

The apprentice stepped forward. “Tenth Brother did explain to all of you what would happen if you betrayed us, yes?”

Immediately, the Inquisitor got down on his knees, hands clasped together pleadingly. “Mercy! Mercy my lady! Please!”

Ahsoka huffed a laugh, her lips curling into a cruel smile. Slowly she approached, and then slinked behind the prostrating man. With ease, she called the darksider’s weapon from his back. “Mercy is death, Inquisitor. I suppose I could…” She ignited the weapon, its electronic sound echoing in the room. She shared a look with her master, who already knew. “But I won’t.” With a single swipe she cut down to the ground, severing the man’s legs at the shins.

The screams that came from him were natural. The smile that pulled at the master’s face was not. The apprentice actively took no joy in the man’s pain, though on a baser level she felt satisfaction in delving out the beginnings of the punishment. With a casual gesture she flung the now useless flesh off to the side, the weapon tossed with it.

“So how does this work, Master?” she asked Sidious.

“It is actually quite simple, Venatrix. At least for a Sith that wields the Force as it should be.” The smirk he gave her was met with a flat stare. “However, I believe it can be done your way.” He stepped forward, looking at the groaning Inquisitor with derision. His screams had quickly tapered off due to his training, but he couldn’t remain completely silent.

“Until you become proficient, you must build your hatred until it is full to bursting. Do not allow it to release until you feel like you are going to explode. Then, right at the last second, give it an avenue of escape.” To demonstrate, he aimed a hand at a wall.

** _Observe the alpha, and see what not to do._ **

The dark side twisted and thrashed around Sidious as he grabbed it tightly. With little care for how the Force tried to tear away from him, he began to focus and concentrate his hatred into something with strange purity. As the air became more and more charged, she felt her uncaring state slowly leave her. The Force was slowly getting louder and louder, until it began _ screaming _.

Ahsoka wasn’t sure what happened after that, but she saw a flash of light, her montrals were ringing, and she was on the ground. Pieces of stone were surrounding her, the air smelled of ozone, and everything felt buzzy. Slowly she picked herself off the ground and looked around. Sidious was still standing placidly, as he always did. Across the room, the wall had a large crater blasted into the side of it.

It had been awhile since she felt real fear, but as she processed what had just happened, it grew. He demonstrated the _ beginner’s _ method, which was to cap oneself of hatred and let it explode outward. It had resulted in something akin to a laser cannon blast rather than electricity, and its effects were apparent. If he wished, he could likely destroy anyone with that kind of discharge.

“I hope you were paying attention, Apprentice. I won’t demonstrate again,” he said. She couldn’t help the disgusted look that she sent his way, though when he frowned she managed to push it away. Unknown to her, Sidious was irritated that his actions pulled her out of his preferred state for her, but there was still plenty of time later for him to solidify it. One can’t expect to always succeed the first time, after all. “Now, punish your subordinate.”

Really, she didn’t see every single thing. Explosions had a way of consuming short term memory priority. Still, she had to try. She slowly raised a hand towards the Inquisitor and called the Force to her. She thought of the man and his betrayal, the potential damage he could have done had he done so at a later time. There was anger there, but little hate. There were ultimately no consequences for her for his actions.

Instead she thought of a real target for her hatred. The Sith standing next to her. Immediately the reservoir began to fill, and the effects were instant. Pressure began to build within her, and it gradually scraped at her senses until they felt raw.

“Yes...that’s it. Take your hatred. Focus on it building. Let it grow within you.” Sidious slowly walked behind her, eyes glittering with hunger.

** _The Alpha thinks he owns me._ **

The Force rushed to her willingly, feeding off her emotions and filling her with power.

** _What he takes through force, I give to you freely._ **

Her skin buzzed, and she felt a charge to her whole body that threatened to ground itself through her feet.

** _You shall be my instrument of revenge._ **

Without warning, searing pain burned on her fingertips as red lightning blasted out from them, grounded on the Inquisitor, and then suddenly ceased. The man yelped in pain for a split second, and then slumped. Hissing, she shook her hand and looked at it, finding small, charred pits on her fingertips. She frowned at both that, and the fact that she killed the Inquisitor. Still, she wasn’t too unhappy. Torture wasn’t exactly what she wanted to do, but instead what she had resigned herself to. She wanted someone alive as an example, but showing mercy and killing the man was the will of the Force, it seemed.

“How was that?” she asked, turning. Sidious was frowning, but otherwise showed no emotion. She waited for an answer, but when none came, she said, “Master?”

“Good enough,” he finally said flatly. “Practice daily, and learn how to reduce the power. Sometimes you want only to teach a lesson. Not kill.” He stared at the scene for a moment before turning and walking out. Ahsoka watched him, wondering what just happened. He seemed to gleeful of what she was doing prior to that.

** _Envy._ **

Of course. That must have been it. The way of the Sith was to covet that which they do not have. But...envy meant that she did something he couldn’t. Or wasn’t able to at the start. She smiled at that, but only for a moment. People feel threatened when they see someone else doing something they can not. Her success was a threat to him. If she showed too much growth, he would kill her.

She glanced over at the crater in the wall. If he decided she must die, there would be very little she could do to stop him except run.

She needed to get out of there. Get some distance from Sidious, regroup and plan. Planning meant speaking with Anakin, who was currently in orbit, probably.

===

The _ Exactor _ let Ahsoka on without a fuss, as Anakin had made it clear under no uncertain terms that if anyone gave her trouble, there would be deaths. That being said, the amount of executions from failures had rapidly dropped ever since the two ex-Jedi had reunited. Outright insubordination remained the only surefire way to get killed. She wasn’t sure if it was her advice, or perhaps if he simply didn’t feel the need to punish failure so severely anymore.

Anakin was not on the bridge, his office, meditation chamber, nor his shipboard training room. Curious, she had to sniff out his presence in the Force and follow it to one of the unused rooms on his personal section of the ship. Assuming he must have set up something new, she entered.

What she found was...unexpected.

Anakin was sitting in a small chair, facing a viewport. The room was quiet, save for the quiet breathing of a temporary respirator. More than that, the Force itself was calm. That _ never _ happened around Anakin.

She looked left and right. A table, shelving full of some kind of toiletries, dresser…

A crib.

Ahsoka froze. He didn’t. Anakin didn’t. He did _ not _ adopt a child.

“Are you going to come in or just stand there slack jawed?” he asked, voice as raspy as always. She took a step forward, then another. On a base level, the room felt much like the creches back in the Jedi Temple. There was a slight edge to it, but the aura was unmistakably the same as a child’s room.

Finally right next to him, Anakin turned in the chair. He was wearing an almost exact copy of his old Jedi robes, save for the darker colors. She wasn’t paying attention to that though. Instead she had locked her eyes on the miniature person that he had cradled in his arms. A human- no. Humans didn’t have hair with such a scarlet intensity. That was a halfling.

She could tell by the frown he was giving her that she was probably giving him one as well.

“You don’t approve,” he said.

She opened her mouth to respond, but the way he was simply so relaxed… “I just...why?”

He was silent for a moment. “I’m not entirely sure myself. though…” He sighed. “My daughter died with my wife. Sending this one to Project Harvester would have probably only killed her too. This seemed to be the correct thing to do.”

“Oh Anakin…” She kneeled down, putting a hand on the flesh of an arm, where he would surely feel it. She hadn’t even considered that he was still hurting, though she should have. The masked and armored man forcefully ordering people around and slaughtering Separatists and Jedi alike didn’t exactly hint to internal pain.

She let out a long sigh, refusing to try and deny him this, no matter how dangerous it would be for both of them. “She’s strong in the Force.”

“Yes, very strong,” Anakin said. “I have no doubt she is destined for greatness.” The little girl opened her vibrant green eyes, and looked upon the new person without fear or shyness. “Ahsoka, meet Mara Jade.”

“She’s beautiful.” She gave a soft smile, reaching over and running a knuckle gently against the chubby cheek. “What happened to the parents?”

He looked at her for a moment. “You happened.”

Ahsoka blinked. “Wait. You mean-”

“Yes.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If she had known a child would have grown up without parents due to her actions, she would have...probably let them go.

_ Be the Sith that Leia can look up to. _

She would have let them go. Would it have been out of compassion? Failing a trial of hers simply for the fact that a child would grow up without her parents? Yes, that was compassion. Their master said that compassion is a weakness. It was, but perhaps it was one she could live with. To deaden oneself completely to the pain of others had certainly solved a lot of problems.

_ Be the Sith that Leia can look up to _.

It also completely ignored the reason she fell in the first place. She fell to stop atrocities. To help the galaxy recover. To ensure that no one would have to fear their rulers. Completely encasing her heart in ice would only see her perpetuating the same mistakes. Perhaps, like her stubborn grasp to the light, she could maintain a perspective of compassion? She wasn’t sure if she was capable of doing that anymore. Not like she used to. She didn’t exactly feel _ guilty _ about killing the Jedi. In fact, she was perfectly fine with it. She got what she wanted out of the whole ordeal. Except for a decent fight, but she would probably never get one of those unless she decided to engage a Councillor.

No, what she was feeling was anger and disgust at herself for failing to sense the child she had orphaned. It was perhaps the will of the Force, or maybe just Anakin being himself, that had led the man into adopting the child.

“How are we going to take care of her with all our work?” she asked.

A triumphant grin broke across his face. “_ We? _”

She shrugged. “I killed her parents. The least I can do is make sure she doesn’t pick up all your bad habits.”

Anakin scoffed. “Name one.”

She began counting with her bandaged fingers. “Crashing ships. Getting your lightsaber destroyed. Impulsive decisions. Recklessness. Taking everything ap-”

“What happened to your fingers?” he interrupted. The question surprised her, but she didn’t really blame him for his curiosity.

“Oh. Palpatine was teaching me how to use Force lightning,” she said casually. The _ look _ he gave her was anything but casual, though. “What?”

“He has taught me almost _ nothing _,” he said with a growl. “I was actually hoping he wouldn’t be teaching you much either.”

“EX-” She stopped, noting the child six inches from her mouth. _ “Excuse me?” _she hissed.

“I wasn’t finished,” Anakin said just as quietly. “I am certain that once you become powerful enough to match me, he will demand we fight for the right to be his sole apprentice.”

“That...makes sense,” she had to admit. “One apprentice is much less of a threat than two.” They needed a plan. A base of operations, allies, resources. “We need somewhere to go, if we have to run.”

Anakin looked down, and the Force wrapped around his adopted child like a shield. “Agreed,” he said, though she could immediately see the lack of foresight on the matter. “Ideas?” She supposed it wasn’t too much of a surprise. He had seen nothing more than battlefields and short trips to hunt Jedi for the past two and a half years.

“Shili is remote enough,” she said. “The villages are always accepting of newcomers as long as they pull their weight. Life would be simple, though.”

“I can’t survive without maintenance until the suit is removed,” Anakin said, and for a split second she saw his eyes flash with shame and hatred. “Wherever we go has to have access to technology.”

“You’re not exactly easy to miss, Anakin. Your suit-”

“Has to go,” he finished for her. “At first, I hated it. I still do, but I was beginning to see it perhaps as a boon.”

“How could you possibly see that hunk of junk as a benefit?” she asked.

Anakin was silent for a moment. “After the purge, I was alone. I only had Palpatine. Everyone who knew me personally was dead or...well, an enemy. Or so I thought.” He gave her a quick, soft grin. “Palpatine said that suit _ was _ me, was...Vader. It was a wall. Armor. Not just for combat but...my issues. I didn’t want others to see what I felt. My pain is- was, I don’t know. It was my strength. Now it’s just a reminder of the soulless machine I had turned into. I need to get rid of it.”

“Palpatine will see it as a threat,” she said.

“It’s a threat already,” he replied. “What he does to you with his lightning, my suit can’t withstand that. Any amount is a threat. He could end a fight against me in seconds.”

She scoffed. “He could end a fight with anyone in seconds.”

He blinked. “What do you mean?”

“When he was showing me how to cast lightning, at least the beginner’s way, he described it as building your hatred until you felt like it would explode. Then you give it a release.”

“Like a rocket?”

“I guess. When he let it loose, he blasted a hole in the wall. Though...I’m not even sure he was using his full power. He didn’t look winded _ at all _ . I feel…” She cringed. “I think the only reason he didn’t storm the Jedi Temple himself was because he needed the galaxy to _ want _ him as Emperor.”

** _Careful, cub. You are straying close to the truth._ **

They were both silent for a moment, considering the possibilities. Mara quietly cooed, drawing the attention of both of them. If Palpatine learned of her existence, he would certainly use her as leverage. Or demand they surrender her. Or both, most likely.

“We need to learn things outside of what he gives us or, well...me,” Ahsoka said as she gently stroked the child. Mara reached out and grabbed at one of her burnt fingertips, causing her to hiss quietly in pain, but she didn’t yank away. “When we fight, we’ll need as many powers or tricks he doesn’t know about as possible.”

“We should just drop a ship on him and be done with it,” Anakin said.

“And doom the galaxy with him. If a ship reactor detonated in atmosphere on Coruscant, the whole planet will be ruined, along with the Economy and any semblance of government.”

“It would be worth it.”

Ahsoka pointed at him. “Impulsive decisions. We can’t rule over a galaxy that’s busy tearing itself apart.”

“And what do you know about ruling a galaxy?” Anakin asked.

She grinned. “More than you think. While you have been off putting down Separatists and rebellious worlds, he’s been having me read and learn from tutors about governing. It’s cutting into my Fulcrum time, but I built the network to be self running if it needs to be.”

Anakin snarled. “He’s only using me as a weapon.”

“He is,” Ahsoka admitted. “You want copies of my books?”

He shook his head. “No. Padmé tried to teach me some things, but I could never wrap my head around it. I’ll stick to what I know. Enforcing order.”

“You don’t have to be that, you know. An enforcer.”

He pondered that for a moment, but looked away. “It’s what I’m good at. I don’t deserve-”

“Hey.” She gently cupped the man’s cheek and turned his head towards her. “None of that. What you deserve doesn’t matter. What matters is what will make you happy.”

He huffed a mirthless laugh. “I don’t think that’s possible anymore.”

“Look down and say that again.”

“What-” He did so, immediately noticing the almost accusatory stare that Mara was giving him. “That’s different. She helps a little.”

“Anakin, I haven’t felt you this at ease since…ever.”

He looked at her for a moment, considering her words, but dismissed it. Caring for the child was simply the correct thing to do. “We need to plan for the future,” he said, diverting the conversation.

Ahsoka pursed her lips, knowing that once Anakin didn’t want to speak about something, it was useless to push him. “What about Tatooine?”

“Absolutely not,” he said immediately.

“Absolutely yes,” she said. “You hate it. Palpatine would never expect you to willingly go there.”

Anakin grumbled. “That rock is a waste of space. Nothing but sand, thieves, slavers, and despair.”

She waited a moment. “You came from there.”

“And look what I’ve brought to the galaxy.”

She frowned and hummed in irritation. “It’s still a good place for a safehouse.”

Anakin shifted about slightly, obviously uncomfortable with the idea. “Fine. But I want another option if we have to go underground.”

“We can still go to Shili, just not with the tribes. There’s plenty of unsettled land we can hide in. With the amount of predators in the wild we’ll never be found.”

“Hmmh...very well.” He pulled Mara closer to his chest. “That will do for now. We should research more worlds later. Now, we have put off discussing our future plans for seizing the Empire for too long.” He got up, baby in one arm, air tank in the other. He offered Mara to Ahsoka, who flinched slightly at the offering. While she had taken classes in handling even newborns, she had never done so in reality. Gingerly she accepted the little bundle of girl, and smiled when a tiny hand grabbed one of her lekku.

“Hello there little one,” she said giving the girl a small tickle on the belly. Mara squealed and squirmed, which only made the Togruta smile wider. Reluctantly, she carried her to the crib, set her down, swaddled her, and followed Anakin out of the room. She spied a nanny droid in the corner. Mara would have her needs tended to.

Anakin led them into his private observation room. Outside, stars shined, the distant lights of ships moved, and Imperial Center glowed. Anakin sat his tank down next to a chair, and quickly followed suit himself, offering another seat to his partner.

“So our goal is to seize control of the galactic government,” Anakin said.

“No problem,” Ahsoka snarked. “So, resources. I have control over a newly implemented intelligence network that has ears on all the major planets, and many smaller ones.”

Anakin turned and stared at her with a raised brow. “Impressive. I see you haven’t been wasting time. Anything else?”

“Hmm…” She stroked at a lek. “I’m unsure if it took hold, but I may have Bail Organa under my thrall.”

His head snapped to her. “You what.”

“Obi-Wan once told me about a kind of mind trick, something quiet and gentle, not at all obvious. You put just the lightest touch of the Force with it, and it’s supposed to slowly take hold over time, so the victim doesn’t realize when their will becomes yours.”

Anakin blinked. “And _ Kenobi _ taught this to you?” he asked, incredulous.

Ahsoka snerked. “Of course not. He just told me _ about _ it. He said that once I knew about it, I could defend against it.”

The man grit his teeth. “He never taught me about this. It would be just like him to hold me back like that.”

She blinked, thinking back, and slowly shook her head. “No, I remember you being there.”

Anakin lightly growled. “You’re sure?”

“Certain,” she said. “I think it was after a discussion about Slick’s betrayal. I think someone suggested he might have been mind tricked into it, and Obi-Wan thought it was best to tell us about it.”

Anakin looked at her, then back to the stars. “I don’t remember.” He frowned and furrowed his brow, but decided to ultimately decided to let it go until later. He knew about it now, at least. “So you personally lead an intelligence network, and you at least have the ear of the leader of an infant Rebellion, possibly his mind.” Ahsoka nodded her head. “Impressive. Meanwhile, I have the loyalty of this ship, Offee, and the rest of the Inquisitorius at least fears me enough to fall in line.”

Ahsoka’s eyes widened for a moment. “Oh, right. I killed Eighth Brother.”

“Why?” he slowly asked.

She shrugged. “Betrayal. He tried to rat us out to Palpatine.”

Anakin grunted in approval, but was still frustrated. “From now on, leave any traitors alive. We will need to interrogate them to know how much they have given away.”

“Done,” she said. “Though I didn’t really mean to. He was my Force lightning training target and I kind of...put too much into it.”

Anakin tilted his head with a cocked brow. “You have indeed become powerful, my Padawan.” Ahsoka’s lekku darkened in response, the Togruta equivalent to blushing. “Now, let’s begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An intermission will be posted shortly after this chapter goes up.
> 
> So! End of arc. I know it's kinda...loose? I called it Setting the Board for a reason. Pieces are simply being placed.
> 
> Here we see some more of Legends, which did not have "bleeding" kyber crystals. Instead there's the synthetic crystals. Combining the two has to have some kind of logic to it, and this is it. In Legends, synthetics were considered slightly more powerful than natural adegans. The "fact" that adegans are more powerful than kybers is something I lifted from "The Desert Storm" by Blue_Sunshine. https://archiveofourown.org/series/1311746 I highly recommend it.
> 
> Canonically, synthetic kybers are actually unstable.
> 
> Ahsoka wanted a fight, as explained. She wanted some kind of thrill, something similar to the fights she used to have during the Clone Wars. Her plan was simply too good, and the targets too inexperienced. Throw darkness into the mix, and you get Ahsoka, but *Darker and Edgier.* ;)
> 
> Red lightning. Where did that come from? Is it the Force simply granting her more power because she respects it? Or is it something to do with *gasp* The Son? We will see if I'm just giving you all a red herring later.
> 
> Also, damn Palpy! You SCARY!
> 
> Poor Eighth Brother. With you dead, who is going to go hunt Maul on Malachor? Will we even be going to Malachor? That's like, 15 years in the future though, so it will be quite the wait from their perspective.
> 
> And here we have Dad Vader. I always enjoy the fics where Vader turns into a big softie when it comes to children that he cares about, so he is that way here. He has one person to care about him, now there is two (even if it will be a bit until Mara Jade can speak.) Of course, Mara Jade is Mara Jade, so expect her to cause a lot of trouble once she is...say...thirteen? That's when most kids think they're adults, right?
> 
> We finally see a bit of collaboration, even if it is cut off. You'll see some of the results in the Intermission, and more during the next act.
> 
> Oh, right. And the Force has a new chosen one. Since Anakin fucked up. Kinda.


	11. Intermission 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double post today! I'm leaving you all for awhile as I work on Act 2, so I thought I'd give you a bigger update than usual.

Jedi Master Luminara Unduli was dead. Or she would be. She had long ago considered her life forfeit, captured at the hands of the clone troopers she had once fought and bled with. At least her commander, Gree, had been spared of The Order by Master Yoda. Still yet, even leaderless, her men turned on her at the command of the newly crowned _ Emperor Palpatine _. She didn’t know if it was perhaps her immediate surrender, or if maybe her soldiers felt sympathy for her, believed that she would not betray the Republic, but they had allowed her to live instead of being shot dead like so many others.

Palpatine was relentless in his tortures, demanding information and her allegiance. Still, through it all, she refused to bend. She gave the man nothing, and smiled at the rage he threw off. More times than once she thought it would be the end. That she would be executed and thus free of the pain, and her knowledge truly safe from the clutches of the dark side.

If only it were that easy. Instead he stuck her in a prison in the middle of nowhere, kept with many of her fellow believers in the Republic. A few of them were Jedi, and she felt their falls or deaths. Others were simple political prisoners or officers that refused to serve the new order. She wasn’t told this explicitly, but instead picked up things from the Force and through the walls of her cell.

Not that it mattered. The Force was adamant that today, things would change. Things would end. Her death approached, and she would not beg or try to bargain. It was what she wanted. It wasn’t out of despair, but rather security in the fact that what she had would no longer risk being abused the Palpatine and his vile Inquisitors.

The door to her cell opened, and she saw her greatest failure.

Barriss.

Her former student stepped into the cell, the dark side flowing off of her like fire. Even after her bombing of the temple, her Padawan wasn’t this far deep into her anger and hatred. She covered her face with a helmet now, though if it was out of shame or simply to intimidate was beyond her.

The Inquisitor, Third Sister, stood silently as she held her wretched red blade, unignited but at the ready. Two stormtroopers walked in, a repulsor lifted container following them in. Luminara watched silently as they seemed to set it against the wall, and she recognized exactly what it was.

A coffin.

“Open it,” Third Sister said, her voice warped by the vocoder of the helmet. Still yet, Luminara could hear her darling Padawan beneath it, and it pained her every time she spoke. Every time she tried to bring her old master to the dark side. Every scathing tirade about how the Jedi betrayed the Republic. Sometimes, she even heard a plea in there, a hint of the girl underneath, trying to save her master from death. It brought a faint warmth to her heart that even in this state, Barriss was trying to help her in her own twisted way.

The coffin opened, gas hissing as airtight seals loosed. Luminara frowned slightly at that. Something was going to be done to her body after the fact. Some sick experiment of Palpatine’s most likely. She briefly considered attempting to flee but- no. The prison was crawling with troopers and a few of the Inquisitors. She very well could win, but she doubted that any ship she commandeered wouldn’t be shot out of the sky.

“This is your last chance, Master Luminara,” the Inquisitor said. “I urge you to reconsider.”

“As I have said before, Barriss, I have no intention of turning to the dark side, nor aiding this Empire you have joined. I will decline.” She noted that the Inquisitor didn’t flinch at the mention of her old name. Strange, she always did before. There was no time to think about that though.

“Very well,” the darksider said. “Get in.” She pointed at the coffin, and without resistance the Jedi walked over to it weakly. As she neared the pod, the troopers took hold of her, and held her in place. As the pod closed around her, she was able to see out a small window. She looked at Barriss once again, and felt only sadness at how far her student had fallen.

Outside, a trooper activated the pod, and Luminara shivered as frost overcame her. Some kind of cryo device, it seemed. She didn’t have time to figure out what kind, nor the inclination, before darkness overtook her vision.

Luminara gasped for breath, her chest heaving for life giving oxygen. She opened her eyes weakly, the bright lights above overwhelming her. Was she dead? She should be dead, killed by the pod or whatever experiments the Sith did to her body- what had they done? She tensed and tried to move, but her flesh was simply too weak. Carefully she cracked her eyelids open, her sight slowly adjusting to the light, and what she saw was the most confusing thing.

“Barriss?”

It couldn’t be her. The woman sitting at her side, a serene look in her face, hands extended with a healing glow, she was dead!

The gentle pull at the girl’s lips perhaps suggested otherwise.

“How are you feeling, Master?” There was no malice, no hatred in her voice, just a light sense of panic. It was just like the many times she had rescued Luminara during the war.

“I appear to be alive,” she said automatically, and cringed. That was exactly what she had always said as well. A hand was offered, and Barriss pulled Luminara up from the floor and onto a bench chair. She was in what appeared to be a shuttle, and- “Oh.” Over in the corner were four bodies, two troopers and two pilots, and all of them sported lethal lightsaber strikes. She looked back, and her Padawan looked at her with the sulfurous yellow eyes of the dark side.

“Did they really deserve that, Barriss?”

Barriss frowned and rolled her eyes. “There can’t be any witnesses.” She grabbed what appeared to be an emergency kit and opened it before tossing a ration pack and a bottle of water into Luminara’s lap. The Jedi looked at both the food and the girl in bewilderment, her confusion cancelling out her hunger enough to prevent her from ravenously tearing into it. Upon seeing the expectant look however, she politely opened the package before taking slow, if large, bites. The food served at the prison was bland and enough to keep people from starving, but only just. These emergency rations were meant to keep someone alive for several days.

“I thank you for this, Padawan. But color me confused as to why.”

“Does it matter?” Barriss asked, arms crossed.

“Of course it matters,” Luminara said. “Everything we do must have a purpose. What is yours? What do you hope to gain from this?”

Barriss recoiled as if hit, her lips frowning before it twisted into a snarl. “Is it not enough I wanted to save your life?!” she demanded. “Must I have some ulterior motive because I’m a darksider?!”

The Jedi put her hand up. “Peace, Barriss. I’m sorry, but in my experience those that have fallen are not to be trusted. I am grateful for my life, though I worry about you. Palpatine will likely kill you for this.”

The Inquisitor was silent for a moment, lip quivering as she wrestled with her emotions. She finally settled on feeding her anger to push them away, and finally regained control. “Lord Sidious is no longer my master.”

“Who, then? Is it Vader? That monster in the suit?” The taste of the purified water on her tongue was almost blissful.

“It doesn’t matter,” Barriss said. “What matters is I freed you.” She walked over and grabbed a shoulder bag, dropping it on the bench next to her. “Here. There’s some clothes and a few things to help you along.” She looked at the Jedi for a moment longer, her eyes wavering in conflict before retreating into the shuttle’s cockpit.

Luminara opened the bag, and was relieved to find a set of sensible clothes right on top. Underneath it was a small case. After dressing, relieved to be in traditional Mirialan garb once again, she opened it and froze.

Sitting in the middle of a pile of useful items was her lightsaber. She immediately picked it up and ran her hand over it, grateful to be reunited with it after so many months. She clipped it to her belt before putting the appropriate items in her pockets, and keeping the rest to the case. The door to the cockpit opened, and Barriss walked back in. The Inquisitor walked over to the door control panel and pressed a button, opening the boarding ramp.

“Where are we?” Luminara asked.

“Mirial,” Barriss said. “I figured it would let you blend in better.”

“Come with me,” the Jedi immediately said. “Come with me, away from the Empire. Away from whatever Sith you call master now. I can try to help you. I felt the light from you, Barriss. There is still hope for you.”

Barriss smiled, something thankful and full of gratitude, but she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t. I’m sorry, Master.” She stepped forward, and without warning wrapped her hands around the Jedi in a hug. Said Jedi immediately returned it, squeezing her former student tight. Luminara knew there was nothing she could do to convince Barriss otherwise, and nodded sorrowfully. She stepped off the shuttle without much fanfare, and watched as it lifted off and flew into the sky.

It was several days later when emptying the shoulder bag that she found a small card with a holocomm frequency on it. It had a curious symbol next to it. Two jagged lines in parallel, flanked by diamonds. It seemed familiar to her, but she couldn’t place it. On the back were the words ‘Treachery is their way,’ handwritten. With how sorrowful Barriss was in the Force, she doubted this was a trap, but would be careful. Finding a quiet space, she dialed it. After a moment someone picked up the line, and there was near silence for a moment as the recognizable sounds of a secure connection being set up came through the speaker. There was a holo feed, but it was currently blank.

“Speak,” a voice said, heavily distorted.

For a moment Luminara considered introducing herself, but immediately realized how foolish that would be. Instead this felt like a test, and considering the note on the back of the card, she quickly realized the answer.

“Treachery is their way,” Luminara said, fully aware of who _ they _ were.

“Are you secure?” the voice asked.

She looked around, seeing and sensing no one spying on her in the room she had rented. “Reasonably,” the Jedi said. Immediately the blank holo feed was replaced with the same symbol she found on the card.

“So, one of my agents found a Jedi. I am Fulcrum. Do me a favor and don’t tell me your name or who sent you to me. Security is the top priority.”

“Very well, Fulcrum. What exactly do you do?” the Jedi asked, suspicious.

“I help people. Time will tell if you find yourself willing to help me.”

“Help you do what?”

“Fight against the Emperor, of course.”

===

The doorbell chimed, a soft and rich thing that resonated through the house.

“One moment!” called out Jobal Naberrie, mother to the late Senator Padmé Amidala. She quickly carried herself through the living room of the modest home she shared with her husband Ruwee. She thought nothing of her own safety when the door slid open, though she most certainly did not expect what was waiting for her.

A tall being clad in a dark brown robe and cloak, hood up. It wasn’t Naboo style, but rather almost _ Jedi _. The being had a small bundle of life cradled in his arms, held close to the chest. Guarded. As a mother herself, she instantly recognized that the child was the visitor’s. Said visitor looked up, and Jobal had to take a moment to not react at the scarred face that laid hidden underneath.

“Missus Nabierrie, I’m sorry to arrive unannounced.” His voice was so, so weak. “My name is Anakin Skywalker. I’m not sure if you remember me, but I was the Jedi bodyguard-” He suddenly found himself pulled into the home, words cut off. She felt the man tense, a not unexpected response, but he didn’t fight her. She immediately shut the door and locked it.

“Of course I remember you, Master Jedi. I could never forget you.” She offered one of the chairs. “Please, sit. Can I offer you anything?”

Skywalker hesitated. “Water, please.”

She nodded. “Of course.” Immediately she set into the kitchen, calling her husband down from the upper floor. As she poured a glass of cool water from the tap, he arrived.

“What is it dear? Who is here?” Ruwee asked.

“Padmé’s boyfriend. He has a baby with him.” The husband immediately tensed, knowing full well the repercussions of that fact. During the boy’s only visit there shortly before the start of the Clone Wars, their daughter Sola had been quite blatant at pointing out the boy’s infatuation with their daughter. Naturally the Jedi denied it, but no one was fooled except Padmé, who seemed oblivious to the boy’s crush.

“Was he followed?” Ruwee asked.

“Husband! We don’t turn away people in need, no matter what!” Jobal admonished. “Now come on, we will find out what he needs together.” The man gave her a look. He didn’t disagree with that fact, but it was well known that harboring Jedi carried capital punishment. The two of them entered the living room to find Skywalker humming something serenely, though his gravelly voice was having trouble generating even that.

“Master Skywalker, I believe you remember my husband, Ruwee?” Jobal said, presenting her spouse and the requested drink. Skywalker extended a hand, and they shook before the two Naboo sat down. “Now, might I ask as to why you are here?”

Skywalker took a deep breath before pulling his hood back. The scars on his face extended up and onto the crown of his head, leaving him entirely bald. A breath mask adorned his face, tubes trailing down into his robes. Unseen by them, a flat tank of oxygen laid against his back, held by straps underneath his outer robe. Both of them politely did not react, but such damage to a man was hard not to internally wince at.

“I do not wish to impose on your hospitality, but I find myself low on options,” Skywalker said. “I need a place for my daughter to stay when I am working.”

Ruwee didn’t exactly glare, but it was obvious he was displeased. “Do you not have a place of your own, son?”

“It is...complicated,” Skywalker said. “My work is extremely dangerous. I work deeply within the Empire, but _ against _ the Emperor. I fear for her safety. If it’s discovered I have a daughter, she _ would _be used against me.”

“How deep do you work in the Empire?” Jobal asked.

“Very,” was all the Jedi said. “For your safety, that is all I am willing to say.”

The two Naboo shared a look, their eyes doing the talking. “What is the girl’s name?” Jobal asked.

“Mara Jade,” Skywalker said.

“May I hold her?”

The Jedi hesitated, but slowly stood up and brought the redhead to her step-grandmother. The two Naboo leaned in and looked at the little girl, immediately smiling and taking a liking to the little bundle of fire. Mara Jade reached out, fearless as ever. Her father was comfortable, so she was comfortable.

“Where’s the lucky mother?” Ruwee asked.

Skywalker frowned and looked away. “She was ordered to be killed by...an associate of mine. Along with the father. When I saw Mara I…” He sighed. “I could not allow her to become the Empire’s ward. I know what would eventually become of her, and it would not be what she deserved.”

Deciding to adopt a child, and an infant at that. Impulsive, but honorable. They approved. They spent a few more moments taking in the baby before handing her back to the adoptive father. Skywalker returned to his seat, ever protective of the small spark in his arms.

“She is like you, isn’t she?” Jobal asked, and Anakin nodded.

“What happened to you, son?” Ruwee asked, gesturing to his own head.

Skywalker scowled slightly. “The end of the war was chaos. When the Jedi Council tried to assassinate the Chancellor, I decided to side with him. During a fight I got caught on fire.”

The two of them frowned in pity at such a fate. It took a moment for the woman to realize exactly what he had said, however. “Wait, you sided with that _ tyrant _?” Jobal asked.

Skywalker pressed his lips into a line. “The man was one of my best friends, or so I thought.” The flash of hatred they saw in his eyes...were they yellow for a moment? “I was manipulated and confused. He used that against me, and I didn’t know what he intended to do. I work against him now, however. The Empire is not what it needs to be in order to serve the galaxy properly.” That calmed them down slightly, but the question Anakin hoped would never be asked was inevitable.

“What happened to Padmé, son?” Ruwee asked. “What happened to our daughter?”

The Jedi sucked in a breath, eyes clenching shut. He grit his teeth, clearly fighting some anger back, and two streams of tears ran down his face. He was silent for several minutes, clearly fighting off grief and sorrow, and it was then that the Naberries knew that their daughter was truly loved, and who the father of the child in their daughter was.

“She got caught in the crossfire,” he finally said. “I couldn’t protect her. I’m sorry.”

The two Naberries got up, and for a moment Anakin thought they meant to leave in disgust, but instead they looked at each other, moved to him, kneeled, and put their hands on his shoulders.

“Padmé’s life was always full of danger,” Jobal said. “We always worried for her. Every time she holoed home and told us about how she got caught up in some battle or other, she always said you would come in and save her, no matter what was in your way.”

“You’ve protected our baby girl far more times than you should have needed to,” Ruwee said. “No one is perfect though. Not even a Jedi can protect everyone.”

“I should have been able to,” Skywalker said, face dark.

“We don’t blame you for our daughter’s passing,” Jobal said. “You are family, even if you two never officially married.”

The boy smiled just a little. “Well, actually…”

Ruwee looked at his wife knowingly. “I told you.”

Jobal huffed and smiled. “That you did, husband. Well?” She gestured to the child, and Ruwee nodded and stood up, straightening his clothes and taking an official tone.

“We would be honored to house Mara Jade. You were our daughter’s husband and protector, even until the end. You are one of us, and until the stars go out, I name you an honorary member of our house.”

“Thank you,” Anakin said, though he couldn’t feel more like filth as he accepted the position.

===

Heat blasted out from the heart of the compression furnace, filling the former town hall and turning it into an oven. In front of it sat Darth Venatrix, deep in communion with the dark side of the Force. Surrounding her physically were several piles of coal, fuel for the inferno that raged within the machine. Surrounding her mentally were the dead ghosts of the villagers she had mercilessly slain months ago.

Without opening her eyes, she stood from her meditative position and grabbed a shovel, using it top off the fuel compartment below the focusing chamber before returning to her spot. She had removed most of her clothing due to the heat, sporting only a pair of shorts, a strap around her chest, and a pair of sandals. Anything more would simply increase the risk of heatstroke from its already substantial levels.

At the center of the furnace were six masses of purified carbon, each one set within small chambers to be compressed further and further until their form took the shape of gemstones. These were not diamonds however. As Ventrix poured her power into the forming crystals, they would instead become imbued with the Force, becoming suitable for focusing the destructive ability of a lightsaber. Synthetic adegan crystals, the creation of which was a lost art for centuries, were far more powerful than contemporary kyber powered weapons. Moreover, these crystals would be attuned to her, much like the kybers of a modern saber. Unlike a kyber powered weapon, they would neither fight her due to her use of the dark side, nor would they be broken into obedience by the despicable act known as bleeding.

For almost a week straight she had sat there, foregoing rest and food, subsisting entirely on water and the Force. Crystals could be formed much more quickly, but with her ambitious number of six, things must be done slowly and properly. Any lapse in concentration or break in the firing was a potential imperfection. Given the amount of power she wished to have running next to her hands, any blemish upon them, Force or physical, was a recipe for a disastrous explosion and her subsequent death.

She refused to let it stop her, however. She was the Force’s chosen instrument of revenge against Sidious and his ilk. It was with her, and would not let her come to true harm should she stand by its side.

She didn’t know how long she had been there when she felt the Force cry out in triumph. Her eyes snapped open, golden irises glowing with an intensity that put the now dead fire to shame. The only other light in the room filtered in through the windows and came from the moon. She stood, stepping forward towards the inactive furnace and laid her hand upon it.

Ice cold.

Slow to build, slow to change, and slow to cool. She opened the door to the oven, released the pressure clamping down on the molds, and brought them out with the Force. She hesitated, uncertain if she succeeded, but quickly banished that notion. The Force itself had alerted her of the completion. Ever so gingerly, she pulled the upper half of a mold off, and eyed the blood red crystal within. Nothing seemed off, but there were still more to check. She pulled off another, another, and another, finally revealing all six.

She let out a breath. They were there. All of them. She brought over a tray, and with a pair of rubber tipped tongs, gently removed them from their homes. She was careful not to let them touch anything aside from the soft cloth on the tray, lest a scratch or chip form. Placing more cloth over the tray to keep them in place, she left the building.

Within her ship, washed and reclothed, she carefully inserted the crystals into her new weapons. Three to each weapon and with further focusing lenses to boot, the hilts were longer to accommodate the space needed. Ever so gingerly she tuned the positions of the crystals and lenses, calibrated the levels of power and the components. Everything must be in perfect harmony for it to function properly. One wrong step could very well vaporize her, her ship, and possibly the town.

She was not a fool however. She had witnessed firsthand the possibilities of overload, having caused it herself against an Imperial Inquisitor. While Anakin had cautioned her against creating such a powerful weapon, he praised her ambition and lent his expertise. Should the crystals fall out of alignment or certain power regulators become unable to contain the immense strength flowing through the weapon, a microcomputer will simply deactivate the weapon and allow it to gracefully fail, instead of exploding.

They were ready. As she enclosed the exterior shells around the aluminum skeletons and their held components, she took a moment to observe her handiwork. They were gently curved, just like the lightsabers that housed her healed crystals, but were almost half the length again of Fulcrum’s weapons to make room for the extra gems and accompanying infrastructure. While the base of the casing was aluminum, the exterior was polished obsidian from her homeworld of Shili. Inlaid into the sides were diamond patterns much like her Fulcrum weapons, although these contained gold trim accents.

She checked the dials and adjustments, ensuring they were at the right settings. Standing, she gently squeezed the hilts. The power within was barely a whisper, waiting patiently to be unleashed onto the world. She took a slow inhale, and hit the ignition switches.

She staggered slightly as two bloodshine blades announced their presence with sounds akin to serpentlike hissing. The hilts vibrated intensely in her hands, something violent yet contained. She gave a few swings into the air, surprised at the more intense gyroscopic resistance than she was used to.

She stepped outside where three test targets sat. An akul’s arm for flesh, a durasteel plate for a door, and a final test. A plate of _ beskar _ \- Mandalorian iron, something known to repel a lightsaber strike. She adjusted the grip on her weapons before swinging twice, feeling next to no resistance as she cut through the animal limb. It was expected of course. Flesh was generally just water held together by other organic chemicals. She moved onto the durasteel plate and swung downward, slicing the plate into thirds with ease. Her eyes widened as she realized just how easy it was- the edges of the metal where her blades made contact were white hot. A satisfied smile appeared on her face as she walked over to the plate of _ beskar _. Getting it was hard enough. The ore was naturally only found on Mandalore, and the mines were long depleted. Deposits would be found from time to time, only to be rapidly consumed by the natives. She took a deep breath, raised her weapons, and swung downward.

There was resistance, but soon two clangs echoed through the immediate area as the _ beskar _ fell to the ground. The smile on her face grew wild. This plate was an inch thick, good enough for a door or even plating on a vehicle during the Mandalorian Wars. The _ beskar’gam _ worn by the warriors themselves were only some millimeters thick. Good enough to protect without sacrificing too much from maneuverability. Her weapons would cut through them with ease if they needed to.

Laughter, first quiet but quickly growing in strength, gradually sounded from Venatrix’s mouth. She was a creature of shadow, hiding out of eyesight from her enemies and allies alike, but the ignition of a lightsaber was a declaration of intent. It was a stepping away from the camouflage that allowed the predator to get so close to its prey, and moving in for the strike.

Still yet, now was not the time to announce herself. Sidious would only potentially feel threatened by such a tremor through the Force. Instead she went silent and restrained herself. The Force could hear her just fine; she didn’t need to shout. Still yet, she allowed a quiet whisper to echo into the galaxy. It was something quiet and barely perceptible and easily ignorable, like the sound of a breaking twig, the feet of an animal in the grass, or the leaves on a tree moving from the wind. Something primal that sentients ignore readily, but the more wise animals took note of.

Venatrix flew away from the village of her betrayal, the furnace safely in her cargo hold. The remaining coal had been set aflame in the town hall, burning away all remaining traces of her presence. The bodies had been removed by predators and scavengers months ago, and whispers from nearby villages have placed superstition on the sudden deaths of everyone there. With all consuming fire removing the town hall, even more stigma should be attached to visiting the ghost town. Only the incredibly brave would visit there now, and find nothing but death and emptiness.

That suited her just fine.

===

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi sat in lotus position within his small hut on the desert planet of Tatooine. It had been almost three years since the fall of the Republic and the Jedi Order, and the wounds still stung as if they were freshly inflicted. It was a detached sting, however. During his time in reaching through the barrier that was life and death, he had learned that it was necessary to let go of the past, and even the present at times. There could be nothing tying him down if he wished to commune with his old master.

Though, a tremor had echoed through the Force some short time ago. Something dark and sinister. A satisfaction that was born of hunger sated. It was so imperceptibly quiet, it was almost impossible he heard it at all, but he did. Despite his meditations and attempts to shed light on this development, it was as if the Force itself was denying him the knowledge; it was dangled in front of him, the old man being teased but never obliged.

Someone else might lash out at such a thing, but Obi-Wan simply felt frustration. It was so unlike the Force to hide such things from someone such as he, but trying to make the Force show him what he wanted was not the Jedi way. Instead he focused on his training with his old and dead master, deciding that the Force would reveal its secret when it wanted to. He sank deep into the Force’s waters, submerging himself in its calm currents, far away from the darkness that had spread over a vast majority.

“Qui-Gon,” he said quietly, trying to reach one voice among an endless cacophony. He had learned early on that shouting was useless, and simply made the infinite crowd grow louder. “Can you hear me?” It was a daily question, one that had so far been unanswered. Occasionally he would gain tidbits of guidance from his old master when he truly managed to connect, but so far a stable and deliberate connection had been impossible.

Until now.

“Obi-Wan,” he heard back, and he smiled faintly. “You’ve finally succeeded.”

“Have I?” Obi-Wan asked. “Or is this just another temporary incident?”

“You are still far too modest, my old Padawan. It is good to finally speak to you.”

“And you as well, master. I have so many questions.”

Kenobi felt amusement in the Force. “I’m certain you do. This realm of the Force is...strange. Time has no meaning here. I can gather glimpses of possibilities, both past and future.”

“What do you mean? Do you know if Luke will eventually destroy the Emperor and Vader?”

“The future is always in motion, my young Padawan,” Jinn reminded. “However, certain possibilities are favored as decisions are made. Brewing tea makes it likely you will drink it, but does not make it certain.”

“I understand,” Kenobi said. “So what is favored?”

Kenobi felt resignation and uncertainty. “I am not sure,” Jinn said. “What I see is often blurry, for lack of a better term. I did see a warrior of light fighting the darkness in many of the possible futures, though who they are or what the result is was beyond what I could tell. I am only a single man, Obi-Wan. Time is infinite.”

Kenobi grumbled, but nodded. “Very well, and now?”

“Now? Something has happened to throw that out of balance. Futures twist and turn constantly. That battle between light and dark still exists, but is now joined by many more. Many people are making decisions with the potential for large impacts, and the future is now uncertain.”

“What of the past, Master? Did something happen?”

Jinn was silent for a moment. “Something must have. I have been checking for some time, but parsing infinity takes quite awhile, Padawan.”

“Awhile?” Kenobi asked.

“When I said that time has no meaning here, I meant it. Each time you say something, I spend some time taking everything into account before I answer. My check into the recent past took the better part of a decade.”

A decade? “By the Force…”

“Do not be intimidated, Obi-Wan. By the point you reach the ability to retain your consciousness as I have, such things become trivial.”

Kenobi was definitely uncertain about that, but did not argue. “What did you find?”

If Kenobi could see his master, he felt the old man would have been smirking. “Interestingly enough, love.”

===

Within the throne room of the Imperial Palace, Darth Sidious sat upon the seat which the room was named for. He smiled at the kneeling man before him, pleased to have found such a follower. If Vader and Venatrix thought that he was simply going to stand by and allow them to grow in power unchecked, they were sorely mistaken. They needed to be challenged from time to time.

He fully expected for the man kneeling before him to plot against him as well. It was even encouraged, for strength was the way of the Sith. It was a calculated risk, bringing another into the Order of the Sith Lords, but he needed another pawn or two to wage the little shadow war that his other apprentices are beginning against him. The man prostrating before him now did not have Skywalker’s power or Tano’s cunning, but he made up for that in ruthlessness and a hunger not easily sated.

“Rise, Darth Scriniar. There is much for us to discuss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luminara! She's one of my favorite minor characters. Will she achieve major character status in this fic? We'll see ;). Obviously if she is alive, she can't be dead and a trap at the Spire for the Spectres, right? Barriss angst and guilt is very real.
> 
> Naberries! They're barely seen in the movies, though there was one scene where Padmé introduces him to her parents and sister as her bodyguard, which is referenced here. There's little about them aside from the fact that they are caring people, so I did my best here to create something believable. Anakin is actually being smart here. A baby on an Imperial warship isn't exactly something safe. The ship may eventually come under attack, and Mara would be a distraction. Plus, what kind of life would she have living in a room? You get someone like Maul with that kind of parentage.
> 
> Mmm...adegans! I don't remember exactly where I read it, but Maul had a similar experience in Legends when he created his saber staff. Of course, Ahsoka being the ambitious woman she is, wouldn't go for something as pathetic as a 'single' crystal saber. Pff...lame. Beskar is supposed to be lightsaber proof. But like everything in physics, shove enough energy into a system and the rules break. Also, when the narrator refers to Ahsoka as Venatrix, you can assume she's in her edgelord Sith mode.
> 
> Obi-Wan! This is somewhat of an emulation from a short passage in the Ahsoka novel, bent to my use. Is Ahsoka what Obi-Wan felt? Her creating her bloodshine blades? Maybe. We'll see. Qui-Gon found love. What could that have been?
> 
> New Sith! Who could he be? We'll see later, but for now...SHEEVERY INTENSIFIES.
> 
> I leave you all a fond farewell. Depending upon how much free time I have at work, I usually crank out one or two chapters per week. I'm about five chapters in to Act 2. I'm not sure how long it will be. Maybe 15 to 20 chapters. We'll see.


	12. Conspiracy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! It's been about a month and a half since the last update. I know I said that the next chunk would be 15-20 chapters, but that was a lie. It will be more, most likely. However I have 10 ready to go, and there is a decent stopping point there, so I thought I would post them. We are fast forwarding two years, skipping what is essentially just our two friendly Sith being sent on mission after mission. There is absolutely stuff happening in the background, but I didn't believe it warranted any posts.
> 
> We are now at 15 BBY (if the Battle of Yavin even happens, that is) and we are now entering the realm of "Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord Of The Sith Vol. 4 - Fortress Vader." It takes place after Volume 3, which covers the subjugation of Dac (or Mon Cala) which in itself takes place shortly before and during the Ahsoka novel. There is no official year set for Volume 4, so I made a decision and put it here. The book takes place over a few months, at least, and this chunk of chapters will do the same.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

**City of Undila: 985 Rusaan (15 BBY)**

“Congratulations, it’s a girl.”

Eeth and Mira Koth could not be happier as they gazed upon their newly born daughter. The midwife droid held the infant within a soft, spoonlike appendage in order to give the child maximum comfort. Mira laid upon a bed, tired and full of joy after her labor. Eeth, former Jedi turned priest, leaned forward with a loving smile, obviously eager to meet his daughter.

Eeth reached out, but hesitated. “Can I...hold her Mira?”

Mira smiled. “Of course, darling. She’s yours.” Just as the priest stepped forward to touch his daughter for the first time, a harsh breathing sounded from the open doorway to the outside. Both of the Zabrak stilled, the priest more than the wife, feeling ice roll down his back as the dark side flooded the room.

“Eeth Koth,” sounded from a baritone vocoder, its unnatural mechanical nature grating on a majority of organic species’ auditory senses. Both of the Zabrak turned to look at the source.

“Who?” Mira asked softly.

“No,” Eeth hissed. “Not now. _ Not now. _”

Within the doorway stood a tall monolith of a man, species unknown, adorned by black and dark grey armor over a black body glove and life support system, a glossy flared helm, an armorweave cape, and a faceplate that resembled an abstract death scream. His breathing was slow and regulated, and he radiated restrained violence. Barely visible behind the edge of his cape was the hilt of a lightsaber attached to a belt.

Standing next to him was a relatively short Togruta. She wore armor as well, however instead of a large durasteel plate over her shoulders and chest, she bore a thin breastplate, gauntlets, shin guards, and a kama of plates for her thighs. Her helm was just as alien, the featureless dome showing nothing more than the warped reflection of whoever she was looking at. Attached to her kama were two lightsabers, their handles oddly long.

The two Sith strode into the room as if they owned it, Eeth straightening up with a fearful look on his face, and Mira tensing at the sight of intruders.

Behind the masks, Darth Vader and Darth Venatrix were calm. Not calm like Jedi, but they both sat at their baseline amounts of constant, dull anger. While there was the anticipation of battle, particularly for the younger Sith, killing the man was ultimately _ not _ their goal.

Eeth offered a hand in peace. “You don’t need to do this. I’m not _ him _ anymore. I’m no one. No threat to anyone.” He hesitated when the Sith did nothing, dropping his hand. “I mean, I’m just a _ priest _now, in the Church of the Ganthic Enlightenment.” His right hand curled slightly in a strange way, a method of silent communication. It was meant to be unnoticed, but the Togruta easily saw it, her hunter species taking note of any minor movement. Instead of spotting prey in grass however, she was spotting the tells of a sentient.

“He’s signalling the woman,” Venatrix said through her helmet communicator. Vader simply shifted slightly in response.

“I bring people peace,” Koth continued. “Officiate weddings and funerals. That’s all.” The hand signal shifted, and anyone with any knowledge of the Force could sense the mother’s shift in emotion. Fear was now stained with panic, and a protective anger for her child.

“They kicked me off the Council, you know,” Eeth said. “I have no loyalty to the Jedi. Listen, if you just go...leave us be...I can offer you something. I have _ codes _. Secret contact frequencies.”

Venatrix looked at Vader. “We could use that,” she said out loud.

“I can tell you how to find other survivors of the purge. Just...let us live,” Koth quietly begged. To the side, Mira quietly demanded her child from the droid, despite the mechanical’s fussiness against the threat to her health.

Vader let a breath pass. “Fetch your codes,” he said.

Koth’s eyes widened incredulously before he regained control over himself. “First you let my wife and child go,” Eeth said. “Then I will get your codes.”

“She stays,” Venatrix said. “As insurance.”

“No,” Vader ordered. “They may go.” Venatrix snapped her head towards the taller man in obvious irritation and tensed outwardly. Inwardly, she trusted her partner to make decisions like this on the fly. They simply sometimes chose to appear disunited to mislead their enemies. She finally waved dismissively and moved aside. Mira held her child closely as she eyed the two Imperials warily, slowly making her way past the two before running away from the building.

“Inquisitors, a woman and child just left the building,” Venatrix said into her helmet mic. “Track them, but don’t stop them unless they try to leave the city.”

“Got it, boss,” Ninth Sister said. She, along with Third Sister and Second Sister, were their backup for the mission. The three of them were spread out around the home as reinforcements and lookouts.

Koth moved to another room containing a very large and rough stone monument, likely related to the religion he was now a part of. Venatrix casually leaned against a table as Vader followed the man to silently pressure him. She eyed a vase on the table, shrugged, and knocked it off to watch it shatter. She felt disapproval from Vader for such a flippant act, but she didn’t care. She was itching for a fight, even if the goal was to ultimately drive the former Jedi into the hands of the Rebellion. The way he so easily betrayed those that was once his family irked her though. It spoke of a startling lack of character on the man’s part, and made her wonder what loyalty he would show the Rebellion.

That is, if he joins them at all. A friendly face should help convince him to at least provide some support. Luminara was always wise, she would…

She…

Venatrix frowned beneath her mask, sensing a strong presence in the Force rapidly approaching. A Jedi was coming to aid Koth. She casually turned to the door and continued to lean against the table, crossing her arms. Within seconds someone appeared. A green skinned woman sporting an extremely modest brown dress robe. She had a lightsaber in her hand.

Luminara Unduli.

Venatrix’s eyes flashed with anger. She wasn’t supposed to be here yet. “Can I help you?” the Sith asked, not moving to take her weapons.

A glint of recognition sparkled in the Jedi’s eyes, and she frowned. “Yes, you can. If you would kindly step aside and allow me to leave with Brother Koth, I will be on my way.

Venatrix shrugged. “Sure. Once he gives us the Jedi contact codes, he’s all yours.” She grinned slightly. The flash of betrayal on Unduli’s face was delicious, even if it was fleeting.

“Your lies won’t work on me, Sith,” Unduli said, igniting her blade. “Stand aside, or I will be forced to incapacitate you.”

A manic thrill filled Venatrix as she started quietly chuckling, bringing her lightsabers out. “It’s been awhile since I had a decent fight. Shall we dance, Master Jedi?” 

Her red blades hissed into existence and she gave a duelist’s bow and salute, only to stagger as she felt a sudden pain from her partner. Within the side room, Koth had taken Unduli’s presence to stage resistance of his own, flinging a table at Vader and sending him crashing into the main room. With a wrench of the Zabrak’s hand, he broke the stone monument, revealing his hidden lightsaber within.

Within two seconds the former Jedi was howling in protective anger as he leapt at Vader in a falling strike. Instantly out of instinct, Venatrix jumped to her partner in defense, catching the Zabrak’s strike and shoving him away. Luminara ran in to join the melee, taking position near Koth.

“Luminara.”

“Eeth.”

Vader quickly recovered, and the two Sith began pushing the lightsiders out of the building. Vader’s straight line battering ram style of combat served him well in this regard, and his constant power attacks quickly drove their opponents out while Venatrix ran interference, her style constricted by the close quarters. Soon enough they were driven outside, and the Togruta quickly began her assault on the Mirialan. Luminana should have been smarter than this. There were two Sith and three Inquisitors. Even if she got here in time to interfere in the fight, she should have known they would still be outnumbered. Perhaps she would cut the Jedi’s hand off as punishment and a warning.

Vader smirked within his mask as he felt the roiling emotions roll off the former Jedi like smoke. “Fear. Anger. Resentment.” He engaged a bladelock, the Zabrak’s strength surprisingly matching Vader’s. “I sense them in you. You have let yourself _ feel _ , Eeth Koth.” He shoved the priest away, continuing to batter at the other’s defenses. “It gives you _ power _, most than the Jedi would ever have allowed you.”

“Perhaps it’s the Zabrak in me,” Koth said, matching Vader blow for blow. “Or perhaps…” he gritted, “...now I have something to lose.”

Vader used the Force to stagger the man before throwing him back with the Force. “Whatever the cause, it’s too late.” He brought up the external comm on his wrist. “Inquisitors, pursue the woman and child.”

“No!” Koth said, climbing back to his feet. “I won’t let you take them!”

“Eeth!” Luminara called from a short distance. “Control yourself!” It fell on deaf ears though. The former Jedi’s first priority was his family, though in his anger he failed to see that by staying there, he was useless to protect them.

“We shall see, Jedi,” Vader mocked.

“I told you, Sith. I am no Jedi. Not anymore.” He pointed his weapon towards the darksider. “I am a husband. As of today, a father. And, to protect the ones I love…” He slammed his saber forward, the blade almost bouncing off from the impact. “...your doom.”

Venatrix readjusted the grip on her weapons. Before her was not one of the nameless Padawans she had been funneling towards the Rebellion for the past two years. This was a Jedi _ Master _ before her. One wrong slip would mean she lost at minimum, a limb.

Still, that wouldn’t stop her from having fun. She had been circling slightly around the Mirialan, gently and cautiously probing at the Jedi’s defense with light and cautious swipes. It was impeccable, as expected. There wasn’t much to be accomplished like this though. She needed them to run so they could escape without too much suspicion. Even in a backwater place like this, there were witnesses and recordings, and they couldn’t hope to purge them all.

Without warning she closed the distance and started swinging wildly, or so it appeared. Form Seven, also known as Juyo, was a lightsaber style that was random and vicious. It was designed to overpower through sheer number of attacks, and combined with her original style of Djem So, it gave her repertoire of power and speed that she was able to shift between at will.

“So, what brings you here Master Jedi?” Venatrix sent another flurry, but the Jedi was far too experienced at bladework to fall to it. Even as powered by the dark side as she was, Venatrix was still vastly outclassed when it came to age and skill. “It can’t be the weather.” She gestured to the arid landscape the city was built on.

“Wherever evil threatens the peace, the Jedi will be there to rise against it,” Luminara said. The Jedi unleashed an attack sequence of her own, forcing the Sith on the defensive. Venatrix primarily dodged most attacks thrown at her as a preference, but she was more than capable of blocking and parrying when needed.

Venatrix forced a bladelock. “So dramatic! I bet that drama goes away when you’re bleeding out. You know it would just be easier if you _ disappeared _ ?” Like she was _ supposed to _.

Luminara pushed her away with the Force, sending her skidding across the ground. “That is simply the price we are willing to pay, what _ every _ Jedi is willing to pay. It seems you have forgotten that.”

The Sith scowled slightly. The Jedi had _ not _ figured her out already, had she? No, she couldn’t have. “The Jedi forgot it too,” she said, pulling herself back up. “Your Padawan was right, you know. The Jedi fell long before the Purge. Amazing that _ she _ was the first to see it. Had to fall to see it too but…” She gestured dismissively. “Oh well. She’s a decent Inquisitor now.”

Luminara’s expression was irritatingly flat. “Yes, I suppose it would only make sense her best friend would join her in darkness. Or do you really think I didn’t recognize you, Ahsoka?”

Venatrix stilled. She had hoped- no. It was inevitable. Luminara had sparred with her far too many times in the past not to pick up her tells. The mask split and retracted, revealing her face and glowing, golden eyes. She tilted her head for a moment before smirking. “What gave it away?”

Luminara gave her a flat look. “You thought the dark side and your armor hid you from me, but really.” She pointed. “You’re the only Togruta I’ve ever seen with that kind of grip.” She smirked. “Also you just showed me.”

Both Vader and Eeth Koth were silent as they fought. Nothing more needed to be said. Vader knew that he simply needed to press the attack until the Jedi left. There was a possibility that the priest would fall to the dark side. It was already swirling about him, the Zabrak’s emotions drawing it close. Yet he didn’t touch it; he fought much like Windu fought, dancing so very close but never truly joining with it.

A pillar crumbled as the Sith’s weapon crashed into it. Koth had backflipped out of the way, just in time to land and take a swipe at his enemy’s unguarded back. It cut across the cape, but Vader had managed to lean out of it just in time to prevent the saber from creating a more lethal wound.

It gave Vader something to think about. This was not a Jedi before him, this was someone flirting with the dark side. Combined with the former Councillor’s skills, it made the priest someone very dangerous. And he was certainly using each and every one to his advantage. Sith were considered the ultimate danger, but few are more prone to widespread destruction than those in an uncontrolled fall. He was matching Vader blow for blow, something that was easily extraordinary. If that power was turned outward and without focus, thousands could easily perish.

Vader was fast, but even he couldn’t fight physics. The armor and suit weighing him down was ever present, and his prosthetics would always be a millisecond or two slower to respond than his natural limbs. Normally he was able to completely overpower his adversaries, but against someone that boosted their ability with their emotions, it started to add up. This was most easily seen when he was just too slow to block a high horizontal strike. Koth’s saber landed a glancing blow on his helm as he ducked. The damage was far too light to be of any concern, but the fact that it got through at all _ was _.

The Sith stepped back slightly, momentarily reconsidering his method of attack. Koth took the opportunity to continue his enraged assault while Vader settled into a defensive stance. He might eventually be defeated here in a one on one fight. Venatrix was more easily suited for this kind of combat, but he wasn’t sure if she could handle this.

Koth slammed his weapon into Vader’s, and the two pressed against each other for dominance for a moment before an agonized scream drew the attention of them both.

Venatrix huffed before rushing forward again, her parries becoming more flourished as she twirled about, dragging the blades of her weapons along the ground and leaving charred stone spirals in her wake. She managed to gain an advantage and press another bladelock, her face twisted into a manic grin as she quietly cackled. Unlike Vader, she did not feed solely on anger and pain, but instead allowed everything to flow through her. Passion, pleasure, fear, joy. All of them mixed into a cocktail of power that amplified everything she did.

It looked like she was dancing, rather than fighting. Fluid motions interspaced with rapid staccatos settled into a strange cadence of shadowy violence as she struck, parried, twirled, and flipped. All the while, she hummed and mumbled music that would have had better place at a formal dance rather than in the middle of combat.

“I am so sorry this happened to you, Padawan,” Luminara said, her lips pressed into a hard frown. “What happened, what did Palpatine offer you?”

Venatrix paused for a moment, surprised that she was reaching out like this. It didn’t exactly warm her heart, but it felt nice that someone else was worried for her. “Lord Sidious gives me power,” she said, demonstrating a kata that would have shredded anyone short of Luminara’s skill. “Lord Vader gives me truth.”

“You cannot trust them, Padawan,” the Jedi said. “The way of the Sith is treachery. They will kill you as soon as you become a liability. Come with us. Let me help you.”

The Sith paused for a moment, looking at the tired Jedi. That was an out. She could absolutely leave right now if she wanted. It was worth considering. Palpatine was a torturous slave driver, and she had spent more than one night in a bacta tank after “failing” to capture Jedi. She gave a faint smile. Tempting, but she wasn’t about to abandon Anakin like that. They had too many plans, he needed her, and they had a child to raise.

It wouldn’t hurt to keep the door open though.

She visibly hesitated for a moment, just long enough for her to think that she appeared tempted before shaking her head. “No. I can’t,” she said. Part her truly wanted to go with the Jedi, to not have to worry about Palpatine or being stabbed in the back by ambitious Imperials. Maybe some day but...not now. She resumed her assault, trying to push Luminara into retreating. In her accidentally self inflicted imbalance however, she had weakened herself.

The Jedi’s blade slid into the Sith’s guard and managed to score a hit on her sword arm. It wasn’t major, but it would seriously affect her ability to fight. Venatrix shouted and dropped her weapon reflexively, jumping back with her left weapon extended in a guard. The bitch actually struck her!

“Koth! Let’s go!” Luminara called out, but the Zabrak didn’t hear her. “Ee-” the Jedi’s words were cut off as Venatrix raised a hand like a claw. Luminara struggled to breathe for a moment before she was thrown into a merchant’s cart. The plan was swiftly forgotten as the Sith saw red, and advanced upon her victim. Luminara looked up and gasped as the Sith stuck her arm out in concentration, a blue glow emanating from the wound. Quickly the cauterized flesh fell off, and was replaced by a thin amount of scar tissue.

“That’s not possible…” Luminara said in amazement. Her wonder was cut off by a scream as red hatred leapt from the Sith’s hands and wrapped her in its loving embrace. The Togruta grinned in glee as her target writhed in pain, pain returned a hundredfold for that which was inflicted upon her. Somewhere in her sense of the world around her, she heard Vader yell something, but she ignored it.

A cracking blow, pain, and darkness followed a second later.

Luminara Unduli groaned, flinching only slightly as an inhuman roar sounded through the area. She looked over to the source, finding Vader swinging wildly and haphazardly against the priest, every blow breaking straight through his defenses. It was only Koth’s agility that kept him from being bisected over and over, as he chose to egress more and more rather than continue to fight the Sith head on.

She looked over to her former opponent, finding Ahsoka lying unconscious on the ground. A large chunk of stone was nearby, and it didn’t take a prodigy to figure out what happened. She stood, or tried to. Her clothes were smoking from the Force lightning that was coursing through her moments ago. It pained her heart to find that the girl that once was her Padawan’s friend had enough hatred to manifest it physically.

“Eeth!” she shouted. Koth did not or could not respond. “Eeth we have to go!” She finally pried herself from the ground and called her saber to her hand. She was in no condition to fight as she was, but she couldn’t exactly abandon the priest. The sound of a ship’s engines filled her ears, and she looked up to find some model of transport landing nearby. In the doorway was a female Zabrak, presumably Eeth’s spouse. She was shouting at them to get on the ship. Brave, but foolish. The Sith could easily stop the ship, but it was their only hope.

The mother’s urgent look transformed into a pained scream as she heard the telltale sound of a lightsaber flash boiling flesh. She looked over to find Eeth rigid in pain, Vader’s lightsaber buried in his gut. The Sith retracted his blade before turning towards the Jedi. Luminara lit her blade, placing herself in front of the shuttle.

“You will not harm them,” she stated, but it wasn’t necessary. The cyborg monstrocity ignored her completely in favor of tending to Ahsoka, checking her for life and injury. The warmth of the light side gently glowed from the man as he too demonstrated an ability to heal, but it was far below the level that Ahsoka had just demonstrated.

Vader turned his cursed mask towards Luminara. “It would be wise to leave while I am busy, _ Jedi _,” he not so subtly suggested.

Luminara didn’t have to be told twice. She replaced her lightsaber on her belt and ran- _ hobbled, _rather, to Eeth. She checked his pulse and was relieved to find that he was still alive, although the hole in his gut was not helping. It hurt her already burning muscles, but she picked up the Zabrak, the holy man doing his best to help her. She limped over to the ship, sparing a glance back to the Sith. Vader was gently picking his partner up with the care a parent would their child.

That wasn’t right. Sith didn’t _ care _ for one another.

Sith didn’t use the light side either.

She decided to meditate upon it later.

Within the ship, she laid Eeth down upon one of the sleeping spots built into the wall. Mira immediately ran to his side, babbling about his health.

“I’m...I’m fine,” Eeth said, raising his right hand. Or what remained of it. Vader had cut it off, and the former Jedi’s lightsaber was missing. As she set about tending to the wounds, Luminara felt herself disturbed. Those Sith were strange. Reserved. Ahsoka obviously had grown in power and could have overpowered her with the Force if she wished, just as she did when Luminara burned her. Vader too had the ability to kill Eeth when he wished, and demonstrated this after he became _ enraged _ from Ahsoka’s injury. She looked back to the beginning of the fight when Ahsoka turned her back on Luminara in order to save her partner.

Sith that _ cared _ about each other. Sith that could have killed them quickly but didn’t. Not until they were threatened. Sith that were able to use the _ light side _.

Nothing made sense anymore.

===

**ISD ** ** _Exactor_ **

Raspy, regulated breathing filled Ahsoka’s head. Immediately panic filled her and she shot up from the medical bed, pain radiating through her side. With a hiss she fell back down, eyes cracking open slightly to reveal Anakin sitting in a chair nearby. His arms were crossed and his head was tilted down, asleep. The fear evaporated in an instant. There was no mask over her face. She had not suffered the same fate as her friend. 

Over the months, their old training bond had regrown, casting off the charred wounds from Anakin’s fall and regrowing into something new. Something even stronger than what they shared before. Ahsoka was experienced in dealing with the emotions that leaked to her from Anakin. He was always an emotional person, especially for a Jedi. Some of her behavior as a Padawan could be attributed to it, but not all. Now, with both of them fallen? It was like a valve that was unable to be shut completely. Grief and pain pressed against her constantly, the source of Darth Vader’s power. Constant mourning over a loved one lost.

Then there was the fear. More than once they had been on Palpatine’s bidding, suppressing some revolt or hunting a Jedi. Every once in awhile she would get hurt, and just like he had before, Anakin was there to help her. Only now his help tended to be violent and lethal, regardless of the consequences. His fear left a lingering smog on her mind, and during his particularly vivid episodes she found herself overpowered by it. Hence, the inexplicable fear of her being stuck in a life support suit. Still, it felt good to still have someone care about her, and she was sure to return it whenever she could.

She called a datapad from a nearby table. As expected it listed her injuries. The private medical room on the _ Exactor _ had been expanded to accommodate her whenever she needed to be treated for injury. With the amount of tasks Palpatine sent them on, the ship felt like a second home. She had even taken up keeping the _ Siren _ in the shuttle hangar for added security.

She read the list. Blunt force trauma to the left side of her body. Her arm was shattered and several ribs broken, but the impact gel in her armor kept everything from being mangled.

She was very glad that Anakin had convinced her to wear armor, even if it was relatively light. She wondered from time to time just how many Jedi died during the war because they refused to wear some kind of protection for the sake of _ tradition _. At least Anakin and Obi-Wan wore chest and limb protection. At the start of the war at least. Ahsoka, the stupid teen that she was, exposed all the skin she could get away with when she was a fresh Padawan. Later on that keyhole dress she wore was basically a sign over her heart that said “shoot here!” It was amazing she hadn’t been killed by the many stray shots she took.

She glanced at the pad again. Her bones were set and bacta injections had already healed the breaks superficially. She needed to be on light duty for about a week before she could fight again. At least she could walk.

She sent a mental nudge at Anakin to awaken him. Immediately he jerked to attention, the respirator quickening slightly as consciousness returned to him. He looked at her for a moment, and she could imagine him blinking to clear his eyes.

“How are you feeling?” Anakin asked.

“Sore,” she replied. She glanced over to her side and lifted her arm, showing the massive bruise over the left side of her body. “I’ll live though. What happened?”

Anakin clenched his hands together. “Koth. He decided to stop you from attacking the Jedi by flinging a boulder at you.”

She blinked. “A boulder?”

“A chunk of pillar that was destroyed in our duel.”

Ahsoka frowned. “You didn’t kill him, did you? I remember the last time…”

“You will be relieved to hear that I restrained myself,” he said. “However, he paid _ dearly _.”

She groaned again as she pried herself from the bed. She had grown accustomed to pain over the months, but there was a difference between the general discomfort she felt at all times, and the remnants of a life threatening injury. “As long as he’s not dead.” She took the hand offered and stood. “Thanks.” She began the usual ceremony of stretching and regaining some amount of agility after sitting in a medical bed for two days.

“Your mask was off,” Anakin stated. “Why?”

Ahsoka closed her eyes and sighed resignedly. He had always been like this. Once it had been established those he cared about were not going to die, it was a quick flip to business mode. The only real difference is that where before he fussed more about health, he had traded it for overwhelming rage against whatever inflicted the injury when he fell. She didn’t want to talk about the issue, but she supposed it was important that the Jedi knew who she was. “Luminara figured it out on her own.”

“You could have denied it. Or simply said nothing.”

“I could have,” she allowed. “I didn’t see the point though. Plus, I actually got something out of the exchange.”

“And that is?”

“She’s willing to work with me.” She smirked.

Anakin stepped forward in interest. “Elaborate.”

“She offered to help ‘save me’ from the dark side. Not sure why, but I guess the missions we ran together in the war lets her see past the fact that I’m a darksider.”

Two breaths passed. “I see. What did you say when she asked?”

“I made it look like I hesitated before attacking her again. No commitment, but it should let her think I’m at least tempted.”

“Were you tempted?”

She hesitated. “I was. I-” She stopped speaking when Anakin turned and stomped out of the room, jealousy fogging around him. She sighed. He did that, usually. He had always suppressed what he felt and ran away from things, but he had been getting better. Usually once a month they would go to Naboo to visit Mara Jade, and he would instantly loosen up. It seemed that another session was in order.

She groaned quietly. Soon the girl would be old enough to notice the time span they weren’t there. They would need to be there more for her in order to make sure she grew up properly. She could perhaps rent an apartment in Theed. Money wasn’t exactly hard to come by for the Emperor’s enforcers, but laundering it so it wouldn’t be tracked was time consuming.

Somehow, between Sith training, serving Sidious, being Fulcrum, maintaining a relationship with Bail and Breha, pulling Anakin away from his self destructive tendencies, being a pseudo-mom, and countless other things, she would make the time.

Speaking of one of those responsibilities, she had a Jedi to berate for her stupidity. After changing out of the medical gown, she sat down at her desk and checked her messages. She had set up a terminal for her Fulcrum work, complete with its own transmitter. It was cut off from the rest of the ship’s systems aside from power, ensuring complete security. The ship itself had been freed of spies, courtesy of Ahsoka. Any new personnel also saw her or Anakin for a quick screening from the Force. There were many messages waiting for her, but the vast majority were auto-checkins from her oversector level subordinates.

She quickly scanned the message from Luminara, stating a mission success with injury, before ringing her directly. Five minutes passed. Not unheard of, as people organizing against a galactic government are usually busy. Luminara was in charge of all the Jedi they had allowed to escape. As de facto Master of the Order, this also held true.

“Speak,” Luminara said. It wasn’t exactly Jedi-like, but bruskness discouraged the people that occasionally stumbled upon their comm does by misdialing.

“By the soul of the Core,” Ahsoka said. It may have been a reference to Alderaan, but no one would suspect the pacifist world to be the center of a rebel conspiracy.

“By the will of the Force,” Luminara replied. “I succeeded in my mission. The target was extracted, though we suffered injury.”

The Sith grit her teeth before taking a calming breath. “Yes, I read your report. Please explain.”

“Of course. I had originally intended to follow the plan, however upon my arrival I was contacted by one of my charges. They told me they had witnessed in a dream that our target would be overwhelmed by adversaries.” A Force vision, then. Rare, but plausible. “I believed that he needed my help, so I intervened.”

Ahsoka facepalmed. Leave it to a youngling to have a vision of the future and muck up her plans. “I see. That was very risky of you. You could have been lost, and now your face is exposed.”

“I believe it was worth it,” Luminara said. “The target was very high value.”

“Have they agreed to help us?”

There was a moment of silence. “No, not yet. I believe I can persuade him, however. Once he recovers from his injury, I can discuss it more directly with him. There’s also something else.”

Ahsoka raised a brow. “Yes?”

“One of the Sith. I learned her identity. Ahsoka Tano, a former Padawan.”

She leaned on her hand, now slightly bored. “The one that bombed the Jedi Temple?” she asked.

“Oh...n-no. That was…” The Jedi hesitated. “That was Barriss Offee. Tano was framed for it.”

Ahsoka frowned slightly. She had forgiven Barriss for that, but she still drew upon the old feelings from time to time. “I see. Well, we now have a name and a face. I’ll see what I can dig up on her. Perhaps find some weaknesses.”

“I may have an alternative solution,” Luminara said. _ That _ certainly got Ahsoka’s attention.

“You do?”

“Yes. During the fight, I held her attention. She has definitely left the Order’s teachings behind, but I do not believe she is completely lost. She fought ferociously, but she restrained herself. She didn’t want to kill me, even after I enraged her, and when I offered her sanctuary away from the Emperor, I believe she considered it.”

Ahsoka blinked. How had the Jedi managed to cut through her rage to sense _ that _?

She switched back to business mode. “We get the occasional defector from time to time, but I thought you told me that this ‘dark side’ twists people into monsters that couldn’t be trusted. I’m not sure if I want to invite in someone like that.” Ahsoka had once asked Luminara to ‘explain the whole Jedi thing’ in order to allow herself the ability to speak more or less as equals with the woman. The greater mysteries were of course off limits, and she had to speak as if she was an outsider, but it was better than nothing.

“I wouldn’t. It would be something kept completely internal and within my department.” Her department being the Jedi Order, naturally.

“I’d rather you not,” Ahsoka said. Truth be told she rather Luminara _ did _ in order to keep her options open, but Fulcrum was paranoid.

“I’m afraid you have no say in the matter, Fulcrum. Tano needs my help, and I will offer it until I am sure she is lost.” Ahsoka found herself warmly smiling at that. Even if she couldn’t reciprocate, it felt good to have someone care about her. She almost felt bad about manipulating the Jedi into another war. Almost. Maybe she could repay them in some manner. Allow the Jedi to continue to exist after she and Anakin seize the Empire. She had humored the idea from time to time, but Anakin still hated them so much she hadn’t the nerve to broach the topic onto him yet.

She noticed that she wasn’t responding to the Jedi’s declaration.

“I suppose I can’t stop you, but I urge you to be cautious. Those two have killed several Jedi and been sighted all over the Empire suppressing revolts. If it looks like she won’t join you, please run.”

“Only when I am certain. I believe that is all. The more intricate details are in my report. Is there anything else, Fulcrum?”

“No that will be all.”

“May the Force be with you.”

Ahsoka leaned back, wincing slightly as the bruise was irritated. She brought up one of her secure datapads and added more notes to her view of what was going on. Could she return to the Jedi, after all she had done? Probably not.

It was worth considering, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have some differences. In the Fortress Vader comic, Eeth Koth is killed and his daughter stolen by a Devaronian Inquisitor, who I call the Sixth Sister. Now he was let go for reasons related to their plans.
> 
> Anakin and Ahsoka are as protective of each other as ever. Ahsoka is still a bit crazy when she's angry. Also we see here Luminara working directly with Fulcrum. Talking about yourself in a report is strange, but Ahsoka can deal with it.
> 
> One thing that popped in my head while writing these notes, is that some of you may wonder how darksiders can use the light. While pointing out that lightsiders can flirt with the dark might be enough, it feels like a cop out. I'll think about it later, and maybe post an explanation on my rambles work.


	13. Payment for Services Rendered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, this chapter contains non-explicit sexual content.

**Inquisitorius Headquarters**

The shuttle  _ Infernum II _ flew through the sky of Imperial City, headed towards a spire in The Works, an old and largely abandoned industrial center on the planet. After security codes were sent, it was allowed landing, and extended its boarding ramp. Out walked Lord Vader, Lady Venatrix, and the Second, Third, and Ninth Sisters. Waiting on the landing pad was the Grand Inquisitor.

Said Pau’an gave the dark lords a quick bow. “My lords.” He spied the lightsaber of Eeth Koth on Vader’s belt. “I see your mission was successful, at least one level.”

“We were successful on  _ every _ level, Grand Inquisitor,” Vader corrected. “Eeth Koth and his offspring are no longer a threat to us. Your Inquisitors performed their roles well.” Their roles being to simply herd the woman and her child towards the Jedi, even if the plan didn’t go exactly as intended. That fact was not relayed to the Pau’an however.

“What is the next target?” Vader asked as he handed the “evidence” of Koth’s death over to the inquisitor. The Pau’an looked at it for a moment silently before returning his gaze to Vader, and turning to walk away.

“This way, Lord Vader. We should talk.”

The two darksiders made their way into the spire and its command center. It was a circular room with many terminals lining the walls, and hosted a large holo terminal in the center. With a few keystrokes, the map of the galaxy it was projecting shifted into a scrolling list of names. Jedi names.

“This is a list of the surviving Jedi,” the inquisitor said. “Others may remain, but of these we are certain.” He scrolled through them a bit faster again. of the three hundred Jedi that survived Order 66, almost half have been killed or “eliminated.” The galaxy was a big place. It was not hard to get lost in it if one was careful enough. “We know they’re out there, but there have been no signs, no signals. For all intents and purposes, they have vanished. Jedi remain, but as of now...we have no way to find them.”

Anakin had expected this. Despite the sanctimonious disposition of the Jedi, they were bound to run out of the stupid ones eventually. Now they had reached the bottom of the barrel. Koth was the last to show his face and name to the public. The rest were in self imposed exile or had wisely changed their identities. His eyes focused on the given name of that boy he encountered on Ogoth Tiir. Caleb Dume, the Padawan to the late Depa Billaba. Ahsoka had yet to encounter him, which either meant he was dead or did not trust Anakin’s suggestion. His visions had not shifted much from that day, aside from the inclusion of a red haired woman by their side. Mara Jade, his adopted daughter. The other two had yet to surface. Perhaps they were future students?

“What do you propose, Grand Inquisitor?” Anakin asked, pulling himself from the future.  _ Focus on the here and now _ , Kenobi always taught him. He may have hated the man, but that did not make his lessons invalid.

The Grand Inquisitor gave a long sigh. “We’ll continue with Project Harvester, of course. Beyond that, well, one of them is bound to slip up eventually. We just have to wait.”

That was fair enough for Anakin. He had grown tired of the little catch and release game he had been playing with Luminara. Palpatine was reasonable. Not even he would order them to chase after ghosts when there were other things to do. Other things hopefully being additional time to himself. With the Jedi gone and the Separatist holdouts largely crushed, the Empire was secure.

He turned to leave, but the inquisitor politely cleared his throat to regain the lord’s attention. “What is it, Grand Inquisitor?” Anakin asked.

“My lord, two years ago you and Lady Venatrix took control over the Inquisitorius to your own ends. In that time I have noticed many things, and in my loyalty I have not advised the Emperor of what has been happening. Meanwhile, you have not upheld your end of the bargain. I was promised knowledge, Lord Vader. I would like to know where it is.”

Anakin glared underneath the mask. It was known from the start that the Pau’an was not to be trusted. He was too intelligent and ambitious. He had been promised knowledge of both the Jedi arts and some Sith, but the two partners had naturally not given him anything. Offee was their intended replacement for him. She was intelligent and skilled, but most importantly she was actually loyal. At least to Ahsoka. The younger Sith’s “forgiveness” along with their old friendship seemed to have the intended effect.

It was around now that both of the Sith estimated when the Pau’an would demand his payment. Their time was up. Offee needed to seize the position soon.

“You are correct, Inquisitor,” Anakin said. “Rest assured that you will be taken care of. Soon.” He didn’t allow the Pau’an to say any more, and walked off.

===

Shouts, yelps, and moans of pleasure filled Ahsoka’s apartment. In her bedroom a mass of tangled limbs and flesh both orange and green pressed against each other in carnal desire. It was sweaty, exhausting, passionate, and absolutely necessary for one reason alone.

Release.

Slowly building a coup against the most powerful man in the galaxy was stressful. Doing so while  _ working _ for said man even more so. Doing so while everyone knows they’re planning to betray one another is even more. The fact that said man could kill them all effortlessly simply tops it off.

There was simply no other option than to treat every day as if it were their last. There had to be no regrets. Nothing on the list of things they wanted to do before they died. Having sex with their best friend happened to be on both of theirs, and seeing as they weren’t Jedi any longer, they didn’t see any reason not to do so.

So they did. It was a timid thing the first time, born of their years underneath the Jedi Order’s teachings and a general lack of experience. Once they started though, they did not stop. It was fun and unwinding. After most missions they found the time to get together to grind down their misgivings and mistakes from the previous fight or ordeal or even just the frustrations of living underneath the slave driver that was Palpatine.

Everything seemed much more tenable after a session.

After finally pushing each other to release, they relaxed on the bed as they usually did. Ahsoka held Barriss against her, an arm and a leg slung over her friend as she ran her fingers gently over her green skin. Quiet music played in the background, something much more calm and suitable for their down time than the frantic paced passion they just stepped away from.

They laid there for awhile, simply enjoying the presence of each other.

“Have you ever thought about leaving?” Barriss suddenly asked.

The question took Ahsoka off guard, and she was silent for a moment. “Sometimes,” she said. “Sometimes I’d rather just get in my ship and leave, but I can’t.”

“We could,” Barriss said. “I mean, if you wanted to bring me along.” She sucked in a short breath as Ahsoka’s limbs around her tightened possessively. The Sith didn’t need to say it anymore, that she owned her friend. Barriss didn’t mind it, honestly. Before as the Grand Inquisitor’s lackey, the only thing she had to look forward to was the daily irritation of interacting with her fellow inquisitors and the dim hope that she would somehow take his place. Now? She had her friend back, and despite her station, Ahsoka always stepped back when she crossed any lines. She was respected. She was loved, even if it was somewhat platonic; Ahsoka would not hesitate to kill for her, and Barriss would not hesitate to do the same.

Even Vader, now known to be Anakin Skywalker, treated her with respect, even if he was cold. It was obvious that he still held a grudge for her framing of his student, but he didn’t let it rule him anymore.

Things certainly could be worse.

“I can’t,” Ahsoka said. “Not without Anakin. I made a promise to him.”

Barriss didn’t need to be told what it was. Ever since the two reunited, the dark lord had lost much of his edge. To his allies, at least. Yes he was still very blunt and direct, but his tendency to abuse those under him for failures and slights had all but disappeared. Sure, if one was suicidal they could provoke him into a quick murder, but the threats of death were gone. Now only someone deliberately stupid would incur his wrath.

Ahsoka had balmed his pain with her presence. Barriss did not want to see what he was like if he lost her again. Or maybe she did, so it would be a quick end to her experience with the suffering Lord Vader would inflict on the galaxy.

“Not even for me?” Barriss tried. She didn’t really expect her to agree, and she got her answer when she felt her hair pulled, and she hissed in pain and a perverse pleasure. Her lover had been starting another round when the comm started to beep in the living room. Both of them froze, though Ahsoka frowned when she recognized the beep as being set for one person. The Sith let out a frustrated growl before throwing on a robe, and seeing to the comm.

“Wh-”  _ ...at?! _ she started to spit. “Yes, master?” she said instead.

“I have need of you, Venatrix. Pry yourself from your pet and send her back to the Inquisitorius Headquarters. Then come to the throne room.”

Ahsoka opened her mouth to say that Barriss was not a pet, but that may not have been entirely untrue. “As you wish, my master,” she said instead.

Barriss wasn’t unreasonable. She knew that if her friend told the old man to take his demands and put them where the sun didn’t shine, she would probably be very close to death the next time they met. Still yet, it was extremely frustrating for their time to be interrupted like that. Hopefully some day there would be no more Emperor, and they could just spend all the time they wanted together.

She paused for a moment in her walk back to her quarters. What a strange thing to think of. What would they even- She shook her head. Strange thoughts about the future had no place at the moment. She keyed the code to her quarters in the tower and walked in. Immediately she spied something that wasn’t supposed to be there.

“ _ What _ are you doing here?” she demanded of the Grand Inquisitor. The Pau’an was completely unfazed by the demand, instead looking at her coolly.

“I am the Grand Inquisitor. It is fully within my rights to inspect the quarters of my subordinates for signs of treason and conspiracy.”

“Well I’m glad to know that you’ve found nothing,” Barriss said flatly.  _ “Leave.” _

“I think not,” he said. “I’m not finished yet. You may be our lady’s bed warmer, but she isn’t here right now. So you will fall in line,  _ Third Sister. _ ”

Barriss’ hand twitched for her lightsaber. Two years she had been trained by the Sith to kill this man and take his place. Two years of gruelling, but informative, lessons. She so wanted to kill the man now, to take his place and give retribution for all he’s done to them.

** _Patience._ **

Barriss stilled. The Force to very rarely spoke to her so directly. When it did though, she listened. So she swallowed her pride and assumed parade rest, as was expected of her.

“What do you want,  _ sir _ ?” She grit out.

“I want you to tell me why you released Master Luminara from The Spire.” Barriss didn’t quite know what to say as she stood there, frozen. “Well?”

Barriss opened her mouth, the words forming right before she said them. “Master Luminara was executed two years ago, by-” She was cut off by the heat of a lightsaber blade only centimeters from her neck.

“Do you think I am stupid, sister?” he asked. “The security footage shows you putting her into the cryo pod, but she never reached her destination. “Body destroyed in transit,” you reported. By the stormtroopers’ carelessness. Since you executed not only them, but the pilots who supposedly tried to defend them, the only witness was conveniently you. I left it alone, giving your impeccable record. However, imagine my surprise when I found a file in my inbox today, showing your old master duelling Lady Venatrix, then rescuing the Jedi that was supposedly slain by our masters.”

Barriss’ mouth opened several times, but nothing came out. She didn’t question it when Vader ordered her to release the Jedi and direct her to Ahsoka’s Fulcrum persona. Nor did she exactly dislike doing it. She still cared for her old master, something that made itself known after she started dabbling in double dipping with the sides of the Force.

Still, the fact that they hadn’t mentioned their orders on Luminara to the Pau’an only meant one thing. That he wasn’t in on it.

“So I will ask you again, before I start demanding.  _ Why _ did you release Luminara?”

She ran through her options, immediately finding disgust in betraying her friend. So she didn’t. There was trust there, and betraying that trust would mean not only would she feel like a pile of garbage, but she would die, and probably not painlessly. Darth Venatrix always found her prey, and she was not kind to her enemies.

But then again, Barriss Offee was  _ friends _ with Darth Venatrix.

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” she said confidently. She glanced down at the blade, and for a moment, felt that it was nothing at all. “If you touch me, she will kill you. Likely slowly. Did you ever read the report on Iridonia?” She smiled. “The Jedi that managed to score a hit on me  _ exploded _ . Imagine what will happen to you when she has time to plan out how you will die. I bet she’ll-”

“Enough!” the Grand Inquisitor shouted, swiping his blade away. “I am not a fool,  _ betrayer _ . I know there is more going on than I can see.” He extinguished his blade. “At least for now. You won’t be able to hide behind Tano forever, Offee.” He started to walk out before turning his head with a smirk. “Or maybe you can, seeing as all you’re good for is being her little whore.”

She didn’t care anymore. That man was going to die. What she did with her friend was her business. It was  _ special! _ She was not some slut! With a shout she brought out her weapon in a swing, only to find herself flung backwards with the Force. She slammed into the wall and slumped.

“Right where you belong.” His laughter echoed through the halls as he strode away. Barriss cringed when she found that she had indeed been thrown onto her bed. For a moment she felt more blind fury, but again the Force cautioned her against rash action. Slowly it drained as she fumed, until finally she sat there in disgrace, wondering if he was right.

===

The two apprentices of Darth Sidious walked into the throne room wordlessly, approaching the throne before kneeling almost simultaneously. There was silence for a moment as the elder Sith studied the two of them. It was an interesting sensation, kneeling before the man that all parties knew they were trying to betray. Every meeting was planned as if it would be a fight, that plans were discovered and decided to be a step too far. Every time there was a planned meeting, the two partners would briefly discuss any changes to their strategy should it come to pass.

They wondered if perhaps he did the same, taking into account their abilities. He knew everything about them, as far as their abilities went. He trained them personally, after all. At least from time to time. Knowledge on Force techniques was incredibly hard to come by, and he was their only source of new information aside from their own experimentation.

Both of them, on occasion, humored the thought of betraying one another. Such thoughts were banished after brief consideration. They were involuntary and natural, just as people with complete sanity and contentedness sometimes consider veering into the opposing lane of speeder traffic, or marching up to their boss and quitting on the spot despite the forth late payment on their rent. Self destructive thoughts, immediately dismissed.

“This is a great day, my friends,” Sidious began with. “With the death of Eeth Koth, the threat of the Jedi falls to an all time low. I am well aware that concludes your list of the most prominent or public Jedi remaining, and would rather not waste your time hunting spectres. Rise.”

The two wordlessly stood, silently regarding their master as he too rose from his throne.

“You two killed Eeth Koth. This is good. He was a member of the Jedi Council once. He Could have caused trouble for us. How was he attempting to hide?”

“He became a priest,” Anakin said.

“As much as a priest could cause trouble,” Ahsoka muttered.

Sidious shot her a disapproving look. “Have you forgotten already the lesson of the small influencing the large, Venatrix?” he asked.

She let out a frustrated sigh. “No, master. However he seemed content to live out the rest of his life officiating weddings and funerals.”

Sidious nodded shallowly. “Perhaps. However it pays to be sure. With his death, any potential deviance on his choice of life is now gone. All possible threats from him have been eliminated.”

_ As far as you know. _ “As you say,” she said.

The Emperor began to walk down the dais. “He could have been  _ anything _ , and he picked the closest thing to a Jedi he could find. These fools can’t help themselves. They deserve their extinction.” He continued on past the two. “Come, my friends. Your work hunting the Jedi survivors has been exceptional. I have rewards for both of you.”

The two fell in line, following their dark master to a destination unknown.

Palpatine quietly cackled. “A  _ priest _ . Heh.”

There was little other to speak of as he led them into the palace hangar. Immediately they both recognized the sleek, chrome plated ship of a Nubian cruiser. Seeing as chrome was only allowed on royal vessels, or those owned by former royals, there was only one person this ship could have belonged to.

Sidious held out a hand. “For you, Vader. Do you remember it?”

Ahsoka tensed slightly as Anakin silently walked up to the vessel, staring at his reflection in the chrome plating for a minute. The only sounds heard were Anakin’s respirator, and the quiet welding of a floating droid working on the hull. Through their bond, his grief hit her in full force to the point she almost wasn’t able to hide the recoil from it. Anakin so rarely spoke of Padmé, but when he did he was always full of despair and self loathing. She always did her best to keep him from spiraling into one of his week long moods, with varying success.

“Yes,” he finally said.

Sidious seemed pleased by his apprentice’s reaction. “The royal vessel of the lovely Padmé Amidala. Such an elegant thing, from an elegant world.” There was a moment of silence as both Sith wondered if he was referring to the ship or the person.

The droid interrupted their thoughts.

“Full restoration of the exterior should be complete in approximately two days, Emperor Palpatine. All interior systems are in working order, and the vessel is currently fully spaceworthy.”

Anakin had, for a moment, considered crushing the droid. He could surely repair the ship far better than a mechanical drone. However, he considered just how many things of hers he had touched, and how many of them were gone because of it.

The choice was simple.

“I have the Grand Inquisitor’s report,” Sidious said. “The Jedi threat is not gone, but with the death of Eeth Koth, we have accomplished as much as we can at this point. If more Jedi surface, we will destroy them. I have other missions for you now. First, you will travel to Alderaan.”

Ahsoka struggled to contain her panic. Had he found out what she was doing? Had something slipped? Why in the galaxy would he send Anakin  _ there? _

He continued, “Bail Organa believes his world is sacrosanct, somehow immune to my will. You will demonstrate to him the folly of this position.”

“No.”

Ahsoka almost choked as the word left his vocoder. Her hands slowly moved to her weapons as the Emperor turned deliberately slowly towards the armored man; Anakin turning his head to meet him. Sidious’ teeth were bared, and likely would have cracked had he put any more pressure upon his jaw. For a moment it seemed like the master would cut him down, but instead he stayed his hand. This time.

“No?” he growled.

“We have destroyed the remaining Jedi for you, and I will perform any other tasks you require,” Anakin said. “But first...I ask that you give me a world.”

Palpatine’s rage gave way slowly to bemusement. “A...world?” And then it clicked, his puzzlement bleeding into contentment. “Ah, I see. A place to hone your skills, or your rage.” As his fury subsided, so did Ahsoka’s anxiety. Anakin was completely calm the whole time, confident that his master would see reason. “I would say a place to experience whatever gives you pleasure, but we both know you allow yourself no such thing.”

_ Perhaps simply not in the ways you know _ , Ahsoka thought. Ever since his superficial injuries had been dealt with, Anakin enjoyed the simple pleasures. Things like eating solid food, enjoying life with simply a breath mask instead of a life support suit, and the touch of a young child against his chest.

“Yes, Coruscant is mine, and you shall  _ also _ have a world, to shape as you see fit.” He turned to the ship, regarding it for a moment. “Naboo, perhaps? I know you have...connections...to that planet. This is the esteem in which I hold you, my apprentice. I would give you my homeworld.”

His eyes moved to the distorted reflection of Vader’s mask on the ship’s hull. “Or your own. Tatooine. You could burn its sand to glass- repay your suffering there a thousand times over.”

Both of them were considered. His master had excellent points. Naboo was the first real world he had seen. One covered in life instead of sand or metal. It had given birth to the love of his life. He always had a soft spot for the world. His homeworld...less so. The thought of taking his ship and bombarding it from orbit certainly appealed to him. He had almost agreed to it but…

_ “What was the point of that?” _

_ _ _ Anakin looked to his partner. It was the first time she had openly questioned him in public. _

_ _ _ “His failure allowed the Jedi to escape.” It wasn’t one of their planned escapes earlier. They needed this Padawan to flee into the waiting arms of their unwitting puppet, rather than disappear back into the galaxy. _

_ _ _ “Yes, and?” _

_ _ _ Anakin’s hands clenched into fists. He hated it when she was like this. Hands on her hips, eyes looking up with an accusatory gaze. When a Padawan she challenged Jedi wisdom or his own minor hypocrisies constantly. It never stopped, except now she questioned every Sith teaching he had for her. It was what made them perfect for each other, the lack of blind obedience, but it still irritated him to no end. _

_ _ _ “His death will encourage the rest of the crew to perform perfectly. I do not tolerate failure on my ship.” _

_ _ _ “No one is perfect, Vader. Even you. The crew  _ will _ fail again. All you are doing is making them hate you.” He opened his mouth to cut her off, but she beat him to it. “Taking your anger out on them is not helping. If you want to make things better, then use your anger constructively. Killing everyone that fails you is just...stupid.” _

_ _ _ His hands clenched over and over again. Being questioned like this was unacceptable. He should punish her for this insolence, despite the fact that he technically wields no power over her. Still...he supposed that she had a point. _

_ _ _ He turned and observed the bridge crew, who were all staring, stock still. Anyone that questioned their lord was summarily executed, but they knew that their lady shared the power that he wielded. If she were to die, it would be a fight, and none of them wanted to get caught in the middle of it. _

_ _ _ To their great relief, he simply stomped off the bridge. _

“No,” Anakin said, a location already in mind. The fiery moon upon which everything was taken from him. His body, his mind, his family. The source of his power, and potentially even more. However, something stopped him.

** _Let it go._ **

He hesitated. The Force hadn’t spoken to him so directly until Ahsoka came back into his life. Then, as if she summoned its attention by her very presence, it had begun speaking to them in earnest. They didn’t know why for sure, yet. She suspected that it had chosen them for some ultimate purpose. He wasn’t sure what to think about that. He had been assigned a destiny before, and failed it.

As if responding to his thoughts, the Force showed that it had a different opinion. Before him was a world of oceans and jungles, humid and full of life. Within a large clearing stood a towering spire of black, the Force swirling around it like a vortex. The wind blew strongly, rustling the life that surrounded it. Then, time stopped, before moving forward once again in rapid fashion. Day became night, which quickly became day once more. The sky flickered back and forth from black and white until it was a strange swirling mixture of both. Explosive fire washed over the landscape, burning the life to ash. Soon it was swept away, the ground a black glass before it gradually cracking and wearing from erosion. The shards grew smaller and smaller, until everything was sand. The spire was gone, destroyed millenia ago, and all that remained was a cave in the middle of a desert. A black star of the dark side shone from within, begging to be used.

“Lord Vader?”

His vision suddenly returned to the present, his vision strange and viewscreen-like by his unnecessary goggles. His master stood before him, a curious look on his face. Ahsoka stood behind him, looking more distressed than anything.

“Tatooine,” Anakin impulsively said.

The master stilled for a moment, continuing to try and peer through his student. “Tell me what you saw, my apprentice,” he quietly demanded.

“A locus of the dark side,” he truthfully said. “The Force guides me there. I believe it may hold the key to greater power.”

“The power to do what, though?” Ahsoka asked. Palpatine glanced upon her, then to Anakin, the same question in his eyes.

“We shall see,” Anakin said.

Sidious studied his elder student for a moment before nodding his head. “Very well, Lord Vader. We shall discuss this more in a moment.” He turned to the younger. “I did promise Venatrix a reward as well.” He set off towards a ship in the distance. A shuttle, one extremely common within the navy. “Here we are,” he presented the vessel to her, and she raised a brow in question.

“A shuttle?” she asked deliberately neutrally. She didn’t need one, really. She had a ship of her own, and it was far more powerful than this transport craft. While she was glad Anakin got what he wanted, she was hoping for something of similar caliber.

“Yes, a shuttle,” Sidious said softly. “Remember my dear, a shuttle needs a berth.”

“And that berth is?”

“Why, your gift of course.” He turned and raised his voice. “Come meet your new commander, Captain.” Ahsoka was confused for a moment as a human male in a naval officer’s uniform marched off the shuttle. As soon as his eyes landed on her, she noted a twitch of irritation both physically and in the Force.

“Captain Iresk Mullinore, reporting for duty.” He gave a stiff bow to the present Sith.

“At ease, Captain,” Palpatine said. “This is Lady Tano, one of my hands. She is your new superior.” He turned to the Togruta. “Captain Mullinore here is the commanding officer of the star destroyer  _ Basilisk _ , the ship which this shuttle is assigned to.”

Ahsoka blinked, looking to the shuttle, the captain, and to her master. “You’re giving me a  _ star destroyer? _ ”

The Emperor nodded slowly. “Indeed.” He continued as if she weren’t having an internal struggle on how to feel about this development. “You have been with me for three years, Tano. You have done everything required of you, including your studies of military strategy. Added onto your previous experience during the Clone Wars and the fact that you are now a full adult, I believe it is time I can trust you to act in my stead on your own. From now on, you may proceed with how my directives are carried out at your own will.”

He gestured to the officer. “Captain Mullinore and the troops aboard your ship will assist you in this endeavor.”

She could have felt the resignation from the officer if she was still a youngling. Still yet, he gave her a bow. “Milady. The  _ Basilisk _ and I are at your command.”

“Thank you, Captain,” she managed to say, still floored with what just happened.

Palpatine just smiled thinly as he watched the girl try to grasp what just happened. “Seeing as Lord Vader is suddenly indisposed, you may take the task in his stead. Go to Alderaan. Show Organa the error of his ways. I want that planet back in line. How you do this up to you but  _ remember _ ,” he said warningly. “ _ Failure _ is not tolerated. If you cannot do something as simple as this, I will have to rethink just how much power you are ready to handle.” He gingerly took her hand, and while her first instinct was to tear it away, she knew better. “I have no fears however, my dear. I trust you.” He gave it a short pat before turning. “Come, Lord Vader. We have a bit more to discuss before you depart for the site of your new stronghold.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Infernum was the name of the shuttle that brought Vader and his Inquisitor strike team to Dac. It was destroyed, hence the Infernum II.
> 
> Silly Barriss, Ahsoka just wants to be friends with benefits. What? The relationship category has changed?
> 
> In the comic, Palpatine awards Vader a planet after an incident with some inquisitors. For various reasons that didn't happen here, but his demand is the same. A world. In canon he chose Mustafar, but our Vader here isn't in a perpetual spiral of hate and self-loathing, so he allowed the Force to show him something different. Wait, other major characters are on that world? I wonder what kind of conflict will happen due to this change.
> 
> The Basilisk is a canonically named ship from Legends. Originally it was assigned to guard the Maw Installation, which dealt with Death Star research. Here it doesn't exist yet, so the ship is available for our villainess to command.


	14. Attention Getter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go.

**_ISD_** **_Basilisk_****, Enroute to Alderaan**

One of the things that Ahsoka picked up from Anakin was the habit of staring out into the blue swirl of hyperspace. The more superstitious of spacefarers believed in hyper rapture, a kind of mental affliction caused by staring out into hyperspace too long. It was false, naturally, but it was so prevalent that standard protocol both in the Republic and Empire was for the transparisteel viewports be dimmed for the majority of trips through hyperspace.

One of the first things she did on the ship after meeting with the bridge crew officers was to countermand that silly policy. She felt apprehension from some of them, but thankfully the fear was limited. While there was no chance of going mad from staring at the tunnel, it was a very useful tool to help meditation. Instead of the blackness of her eyelids, the visual noise helped keep her centered.

“What do you see, my lady?” The question, along with the sound of soft bootsteps, pulled her from her light trance. The bridge crew was largely fearful of her, due to her association with Vader. Or they were hateful of her, due to her age, gender, or species. So far all she knew was their surface actions, but this ISB agent… He was confident. He did not fear her. It was interesting.

“That depends, Agent Kallus.” Alexsandr Kallus, a relatively green officer from the Imperial Security Bureau. The officers of her ship were relatively average. Nothing special aside from the fact that at least one of them was probably spying on her. Kallus though, he was exceptional; he actually worked for his position. Graduated top of his class and had the backing of Wullf Yularen, the former admiral to Anakin’s Republic fleet. Now he was head of the ISB. A step up or down, depending on one’s point of view.

Kallus had been out for one mission so far, a disaster on Onderon. She knew that Saw Gerrera was waging a brutal guerilla war on the Empire there and in neighboring systems, she was supplying him with information after all. She wasn’t sure if Kallus was one of her indirect victims, but if the man ever found out he would probably try to kill her. His squad was ambushed and slaughtered, the survivors executed. Kallus was the only one left alive, for some reason. Probably a terror tactic. Leave one alive to tell the tale, and all that.

While the psychiatrists cleared him, it seemed that his superiors were uncertain. An easy milk run like this would alleviate their fears. After all, what were the chances of insurgents hiding on Alderaan?

“Depends on what?” the agent asked.

“If I have my eyes closed or not,” she said with a smirk. The comment seemed to take the agent off guard, and while he did not drop his mask of professionalism, she did note a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. “Why do you ask?”

“You used to be a Jedi,” he said carefully. “It is said that they could see things others could not.”

She turned and stared at him, something completely neutral, fishing for a reaction. People usually found the gold in her eyes unnerving, as it wasn’t simply a color, but a mark of the Force. Sure, they could explain away that she was simply an alien, if they didn’t know that Togruta didn’t have the genetics for it, but something in the back of their heads told them that something was off.

Even the ISB’s finest wasn’t entirely immune, and she saw him tense slightly.

“Forgive me, my lady. Have I overstepped?”

She smiled with genuine warmth. “Not at all, agent. My former status within the Jedi Order is public knowledge.” Thanks to the media. Though very few know that she worked for the Emperor, now. State controlled news does have its advantages. There are of course, the shadow news sites, but she has never shown her face while she was working.

Until recently, at least. Barriss’ report that _ someone _ had shown the Grand Inquisitor what had happened with Koth was disturbing, but inevitable.

“And to answer your question, yes. There is much I can see that you can not.”

He looked at her in interest. “It is said that the Jedi could read minds. Was that true?”

She tilted her head slightly before nodding. “In a way. It is possible to invade the mind of another with the Force, much like hacking a computer terminal. Memories can be read and erased, or even modified. Behaviors can be induced or stopped.”

Kallus grumbled slightly. “Leave it to the Jedi to come up with something like that.”

Ahsoka thought about it for a second. “Hm. I’m sure the skill was created long ago, but the modern Jedi would never have used it. Not without dire circumstances.”

The agent blinked, surprised. “What do you mean?”

She looked at him with a faint smile, glad to be enjoying a bit of time with someone that seemed to be willing to speak their mind without terror. “Very few people know this, but being a Jedi wasn’t about lightsabers and moving stuff with our minds. It was a way of life and classified as a religion under Republic law. It’s way too complicated to explain without setting aside a few hours, but the very, _ very _ basic version is selfless service in the name of the galaxy and the Republic, and respect for all life. Violence in any form was the last solution. Invading the mind of another is torturous unless the user is _ very _ skilled at it.”

“I see,” he said neutrally, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

There was a pause. “Being strong with the Force is not an entirely good thing, agent. Having that skill would be a constant temptation for you.”

Kallus looked at her in surprise, and then violation. “Did you just…”

Ahsoka smirked. “No, but if I did, you would never know. I did something much simpler. I read your face.” The agent looked away in embarrassment for forgetting how to hold his expression into a cold indifference.

“What you say does not match up with what we were taught at the academy,” he finally said. “We were told the Jedi were corrupt and power hungry, which is why they sought to seize the Republic. They started the war to destabilize the galaxy and make it ripe for the taking.”

Ahsoka shrugged. “Well, if the state mandated history books say that, then it must be true.”

The agent’s brow furrowed for a moment before his cold and indifferent mask came back in full force. “What do you mean by that?”

She raised a brow, looking at him curiously. “History is written by the victors, Agent. If the Jedi had succeeded, you would be an intelligence agent for the Republic or whatever the Jedi would have made of it. They would have said that _ His Majesty _ was a power hungry tyrant that started the Clone Wars. They might have even branded him a Sith to drive it home.”

Kallus frowned, and she felt his anger radiating outwards. “Propaganda and lies to fool the masses.”

The nodded. “Very true. However, you would have fallen for it, as would have everyone else.”

The man bristled. “I would like to think I would have seen through it, _ my lady _.”

She only smiled with pity. “Perhaps, perhaps not. The thing about propaganda, Agent, is that you have no idea you’re being lied to or not until you check the facts yourself.” Kallus looked like he was about to open his mouth to make a retort or accusation, but she turned. “We’re about to drop out of hyperspace. Come on.” Bemused, the man followed her slow pace away from the front viewport. Five seconds later the helm officer announced they were nearing the hyperspace terminus, and the good captain ordered them to drop out when appropriate.

“We’ve reached Alderaan, milady,” Mullinore reported.

“Very good, Captain,” she said. “Assume a standard orbit, and let the hangar know to prepare the shuttle for departure.”

“Yes, Lady Tano,” Mullinore said with a bow. As she and Kallus entered the turbolift, he looked at her with curiosity again.

“Was it the Force that told you we had arrived?” he asked.

She nodded. “Imagine that every living thing plays a song, constantly. The closer you are to one, the easier it is to hear and distinguish from others. Alderaan may have been several light seconds out at the time, but two billion people are very loud.”

He turned and looked back at the lift’s door. “I see, thank you.”

She just smiled faintly and inclined her head slightly.

===

**Alderaan**

To say that Bail Organa was nervous would be a bit of an understatement. The Empire was coming to Alderaan, to his _ home. _ Or rather, they were already there. Normally that would be a cause for concern, but an agent of his embedded deep within the system had been able to warn him of the incoming enemy. It was a simple message.

[CHECK 1+1]

Check meaning an inspection or other Imperial presence looking for signs of treason and sedition. The first 1 meaning an ally is part of the group, the second 1 meaning a non-ally. Anything further was unwise to add, as while all messages in the Fulcrum Network were heavily encrypted, the chance of the Empire breaking the code and tracing anything more incriminating was too dangerous to risk.

Naturally, as soon as he got the message he implemented one of the contingencies Ahsoka had planned to ensure that there was nothing incriminating within the palace. Terminals and datapads were set to erase anything on them a hundred times over, and flashed to appear having been used for general purposes for several months. What few flimsi notes they had were thrown into the incinerator, and the staff aware of the Rebellion was alerted of these developments. Through several drills over the months, they had it down to thirty minutes. Just long enough for a shuttle to travel from orbit to the palace.

Both he and Breha stood on the landing pad for the palace, along with a contingent of their security officers as a welcoming guard. The shuttle slowly made its way to them before landing, and lowered its boarding ramp. Four of the white armored stormtroopers walked out and stood at attention before he saw her walk out.

Ahsoka. Fulcrum. His spymaster that lived among the enemy. The first thing he noticed were the eyes, and he had to restrain himself from choking. Then he noticed the other things. Her attire, her weapons, her stance. It all screamed of restrained death. She glanced around at the palace and surrounding environment with mild interest, as if she had never seen it before. Then she looked at him, and for a moment he thought that she was actually here to expose him. There was no warmth to her eyes. No slight smile on her lips. Just a cold and analyzing glare. She had told him that she dabbled in the dark side in order to maintain her cover, and he wondered just how deep she had gotten herself.

His musings were interrupted by a second figure descending the ramp. A human male, mid twenties, blonde hair, officer’s uniform with a breastplate. A lieutenant, perhaps.

“Queen Organa, Senator,” she said, her voice polite. “I am Lady Ahsoka Tano, Hand of our Emperor Palpatine.” She gestured to the officer. “This is Agent Alexsandr Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau.”

“Milady, Agent,” the Queen said with a short incline of her head. “Please, walk with us. The air outside is likely cooler than on Coruscant.” Everyone fell into the pleasantries, casually making their way into the palace. “To what do I owe the pleasure of the Emperor’s attention?”

“Nothing major, I assure you,” Ahsoka said. “The Emperor has some concerns that Alderaan isn’t doing what is required of it. Seeing as the Senator is the liaison between the Empire and your world, he has tasked me to speak with him to ensure that any misunderstandings are cleared up. Agent?”

Kallus spoke, his tone neutral, but quite smooth. “Queen Organa, the ISB has sent me here mostly as a feeler. I would speak with you and your head of planetary security in order to complete my report.”

Breha raised a brow, but otherwise didn’t react. “Of course. Might I ask what you are looking for?”

“There are concerns that Alderaan might harbor rebel sympathies. It is all speculation, I assure you. There is no need to be concerned.”

Breha put on her politicians face, but the monarch and her consort were still slightly nervous. This was the first time the Empire had come to investigate them directly. They were prepared, but it helped that one of the two leading the short investigation was a double agent. After all, if it wasn’t her, it would be someone else. Perhaps someone worse.

Two of the troopers accompanied Kallus and Breha as they broke off from the group to her office, while two remained with Ahsoka and Bail. Upon approach to the Senator’s office she turned slightly to the two troopers. “No interruptions,” she said calmly, and followed him into the room. As soon as the door closed, she locked it and relaxed, pulling out a local jammer and setting it on the table. With a familiarity born only from experience, she plopped down onto one of the couches.

“Everything go alright?” she asked after a short huff of breath.

Bail relaxed as the familiar warmth of Ahsoka’s demeanor returned. The eyes remained though, still giving him slight shivers up the spine. “Yes, everything was taken care of a couple hours ago. There shouldn’t be anything for the agent to find. Leia is off playing with Winter, so she shouldn’t be around to recognize you.”

Ahsoka nodded. While they had coached the young princess on her job as a spy and that she should pretend Ahsoka isn’t a friend when she dresses like she is, the girl was still only four, and thus prone to mistakes. “Good. Well, I suppose I’ll have to do the job I was sent here for.”

Bail sat down on one of the chairs. “And that is?”

“I’m sure he expects me to intimidate you,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. She tilted her chin up, taking on the air of an imperious Coruscanti, accent included. “Your display of passive resistance against the Empire has angered our Emperor.”

Bail blinked before smirking. “Since when did you have an accent like that?”

She shrugged, returning to her usual voice. “I’ve always had it. I _ was _ temple raised, remember? I just usually suppress it. Really though, he’s fed up with you ignoring most of his decrees. You need to dial it back a bit.”

The Senator said nothing for a moment, considering his options. “I don’t suppose there’s a way around this? Alderaan has always been considered the Soul of the Core. The policies that Palpatine demand of everyone are an anathema to everything we stand for. Ahsoka, if Breha allows that to happen, we might face a revolt ourselves.”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Bail, but it has to happen. Remember what I said, if it’s not me, it’s someone else. This is my first task going solo. If Alderaan doesn’t fall in line, he’ll send someone else, I’ll probably end up getting tortured for my failure. He gives me a lot of leeway when it comes to doing what he asks of me, but only as long as I get results. If I fail here I’m sure I won’t be able to play nice anymore. He’ll demand that I start crushing resistance wherever I go.”

Bail slumped slightly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This position of yours is getting worse and worse. I ask myself every day if it’s worth it to risk you like this.”

She frowned slightly. Every month when she reports in, he asks how she’s doing. He offers her support, a way out, counseling, the works. It was slightly annoying, but sweet at the same time. Bail cared about her selflessly, and it showed. “It is,” she said.

“Is it though?” He gestured to her face. “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

She blinked, slightly bewildered. There shouldn’t be anything off about her eyes. She had, for the past two years, ensured that Bail and Breha didn’t see her when marked by the Force. This usually required a mild amount of light meditation in order to suppress the darkness within her, but it seemed that it wasn’t enough anymore. Either it was too strong for her to suppress, or perhaps the Force had decided it’s time she stop hiding it.

No sense in trying to now.

“There’s nothing wrong with my eyes, Bail,” she said casually.

“They used to be blue,” he said sternly.

“And now they’re not. It’s a side effect of my dark side studies. The Force marks everyone differently, and this is just mine.”

Bail took a deep breath, she could feel his trepidation. Obi-Wan was wise to give him some tutoring on recognizing darksiders, and advisement of general distrust of them, but here it would only get in the way. “Ahsoka, have you fallen?” he carefully asked.

She knew the question was coming. With her eyes, the cold indifference she actually showed as part of her Imperial persona, and Bail’s knowledge, it was inevitable. As the man gathered his nerve to actually ask the question, she briefly considered lying to him. She quickly realized that wouldn’t work though. She and Anakin were putting together a small army of Jedi to eventually distract the Emperor with. It was inevitable that he meet one of them, and she would come up. Be it years from now or next week, if he learns that she lied to him, there would be no more trust. The only option then was to convince him that she is still on his side.

“I have.” He visibly tensed and frowned. Expected. Protective fear and anxiety exploded from him in the Force. Expected, but with far greater intensity than it should be for simple fear for the lives of his loved ones. “I’m still here to help the Rebellion, though,” she added, trying to defuse the man.

“How can I be sure?” Bail said. “Master Kenobi told me that anyone who fell became, and I quote, “An agent of evil.” Palpatine is the biggest evil there is. How can I be sure you’re actually here to help? That this isn’t some kind of elaborate scheme to crush the Rebellion?”

“Aside from the fact that I could have come here with an invasion force?” She cocked a brow. “I’m not sure why I react differently to the dark side. Maybe it’s because I don’t focus solely on my negative emotions. Maybe it’s because I still listen to the Force instead of trying to enslave it. Maybe it’s just because I choose to not be a monster. No matter the reason, the Jedi were wrong, Bail.”

The man said nothing, studying her intently. She could faintly hear his heart hammering in her montrals. It was actually quite impressive how well he was physically hiding his fear like this. In the Force however, it clung to him like stink on garbage. It was actually unlike him. She had on occasion given him advice and information on other imminent threats that would have resulted in his death or imprisonment had she not been there. This...this was different. Granted, the “threat” was right in front of him, but he had always expressed control. 

The silence dragged on as he thought, enough that she grew to wish that she had the skill to quietly read minds just so she could learn what was actually going on in there. She decided to probe her master later to see if he would be willing to give up the knowledge. Probably not, but he never chastised her for seeking power. Eventually she had enough, though. She grabbed one of her weapons, and immediately the man shot up.

“Calm down, Bail,” she said, slowly rising.

“You’re asking a lot of me, Ahsoka,” he replied. “You’re telling me to ignore everything Kenobi has told me about darksiders. They solve everything with violence, and there you are with your lightsaber.” Slowly he made his way to the door, his eyes fixed on her.

“Bail, stop.” She softly commanded, but the man did not.

“Or what, Ahsoka? You’ll kill me? You know what this looks like. I-” He jerked as Ahsoka suddenly moved in a blur, stopping right in front of him. He tried to step back, only to find his body frozen in place. He looked at the woman, first with a hint of fear before steely resolve paved over it. She simply frowned at him in disappointment. They had discussed this. They had agreed that the risk was there, and had prepared for the possibility of her fall. Had he simply believed it wouldn’t happen due to some virtue he saw within her? Perhaps reality had simply hit him harder than a what-if could. It happens to even the best of people, of course.

“Bail, I only want the Rebellion to succeed. I understand that you’re uncertain about my sincerity on that; I’m going against twenty five thousand years of Jedi doctrine. But I promise you with my last breath, that I will do all I can to help you recreate the Republic.”

Bail just continued to look at her uncertainly, though looked down in confusion when he felt her take his hand. She placed her weapon into his grasp and set his thumb on the ignition switch before bringing it up to her neck, pressing the emitter against the underside of her chin.

“Here. If you think I’m lying, kill me now.” She released her hold on the man, causing him to shift slightly as she let go.

Bail hesitated, eyeing her cautiously. His eyes glanced down at her hands, finding them pulled behind her back. As far away from him as she could make them. His lips parted before he closed his mouth once again, visibly uncertain. “You’re serious.”

She gave him a faint smile. “I’m serious. Bail, everything I do is for the good of the galaxy.” She quietly brought the Force behind her words. What she had done to Bail months ago was in the right direction. With her tendency to prefer the soft approach first and foremost, Sidious had seen fit to teach her how to properly plant a compulsion in someone’s mind. It wasn’t outright mind control, like the agent had feared. If the commands were extreme enough, they could be resisted. Like her ad hoc usage of the ability, the actual refined technique would slowly integrate with the victim’s thoughts until it was nearly impossible to differentiate between what was natural and what was not. Unlike her experimentation however, the refined skill was much more subtle, to the point that even trained Force sensitives could fall prey to it if the user was skilled enough.

She understood the implication.

“Trust me and what I say,” she quietly commanded. “I’m your _ friend _, Bail,” she added. “I will look out for the Rebellion, you, and your family, as long as it is within my power.” And it wasn’t even a lie. Over the years she had grown somewhat attached to the three of them, Leia especially. The little girl had a pull on her heart. With how she would ultimately be using the Rebellion, it was the least she could do to at least ensure their safety.

The man’s pupils dilated slightly as the compulsion took root. He was already torn on his opinion of her, and it simply edged it over into her favor. Almost as if he suddenly realized that he was holding a lethal weapon to her neck, he jerked it away and stepped back. He looked to the side for a moment, a wave of shame passing through him as he held the weapon out to her. Silently, she took it.

“I’m sorry Ahsoka,” he finally said. “Master Kenobi was just very adamant about the dangers of the dark side. Supposedly, it is what caused the Clone Wars, and seeing as the Emperor is a Sith, I simply took his word for it.”

“Apology accepted,” Ahsoka said as they returned to their seats. Something was off, though. Why Obi-Wan would feel the need to be so adamant about the dark side’s danger seemed unnecessary, considering the audience. To the average person, the Force didn’t exist. Those that did see it saw it as simple magic. She wasn’t going to push it though. Not now at least. Later, when Bail was further under her sway, she could get the information from him. As she thought about it, it couldn’t hurt to get Breha under her influence too. Ahsoka may have to start forcing Bail into more questionable actions eventually, and it would pay to have as few people as possible noticing how out of character it would be. Should Breha stay in power and gradually bend to the Sith’s will, Ahsoka would technically rule a planet.

The thought made her tingle for a moment.

“I’ll speak to Breha about...obeying...the Emperor’s decrees,” he said. “Is there nothing you can do though? I am aware of how unforgiving Palpatine is.” He gestured to the scars she chose to hide underneath her clothes. “But there must be _ something. _ These laws will strip Alderaan of its spirit.”

She stepped back a bit and stroked a lek. Sidious did say she spoke for him, and he didn’t _ discourage _ her preferred style of rule. If he has a problem with it, she could say that he had set the precedent.

“I could “allow” Breha some time to implement them gradually. Give people time to adjust to the new reality. Draw up a timetable to implement the decrees. Meanwhile, Breha or whoever is your media contact can use the time to spin this as best you can in order to save face. Alderaan is a pacifist world, after all. You would rather the citizenry live in discomfort rather than draw the Imperial hammer, right? This way you still appear to be resistant to the Empire without drawing too much ire from Palpatine or your citizenry.”

Bail nodded. “It has its merits.”

Ahsoka snapped her fingers. “ _ Or _, we could go the opposite route. I could say that our negotiations fell through and leave a garrison here to enforce Imperial law.”

The Senator looked aghast. “How could you possibly consider that an option?!”

She held up a hand. “Hear me out. I leave the garrison, with strict orders not to use lethal force unless necessary. They enforce Imperial law and squeeze the citizenry _ and Breha _ into compliance. Now, to your people it looks like an external invasion, which it kind of is. None of the blame lies on the crown, now. Alderaan suffers, but dissent in the galaxy rises as the Empire occupies a pacifist planet for the crime of civil disobedience. Not that I would order it, but if the garrison commander got it in his head to do something rash, Alderaan becomes the poster world for Imperial tyranny in the Core. The high class get nervous. If Alderaan isn’t immune to the brutality, who is next? Kuat? Empress Teta? Coruscant?”

Bail grumbled in displeasure before shaking his head. “No. That’s too much.”

Ahsoka nodded. “Fair enough. We can do the gradual shift. If it’s too slow though, Palpatine might tell me to step up the whole “crushing resistance” thing. If worst comes to worst, I’ll be as gentle as possible.”

He sighed. “I guess that’s the best we can hope for, considering the circumstances.” He paused. “So, when did you become knowledgeable in politics?”

She frowned slightly. “I attend court a lot. I pick up-”

The Force suddenly twisted, fear lacing the shockwaves, followed by a blast of surprise from near the epicenter, and then overwhelming terror from another source nearby. Underneath it all, it was as if a match was struck, and a blazing star was born. Someone Force sensitive was on the planet, and _ in the palace _.

Ahsoka shot up. “Something just happened.” She started to the door, surprise and apprehension obvious on her face.

“What?” Bail asked, following her.

“There’s a Jedi here,” she said, reaching for the door panel. _ Fear-concern-realization _ blasted from behind her, and she hesitated for a moment, eyeing him for a split second before unlocking the door.

Outside, the troopers stood at attention. “Milady, wh-”

“Follow me,” she ordered. “Do not do _ anything _ unless I say so.” The troopers fell in line at her flanks, with Bail taking up the rear. The emotions being thrown out into the Force were like a beacon, and would have allowed her to navigate the palace effortlessly even if she didn’t know the layout. Soon enough she heard the sound of a little girl crying out in terror, the sobbing of a mother, and a male voice of satisfaction. They rounded the corner to find Kallus leading his two troopers, one of which was holding a screaming Leia over his shoulder, and the other holding Breha in cuffs.

“What is the meaning of this?” she calmly demanded. At once the two troopers stood at attention, along with Kallus. The agent, however, soon relaxed.

“Milady, the Queen and her husband have been harboring a Jedi child. Troopers, take the Senator into custody,” the agent ordered, but they did not, Ahsoka’s orders superseding the agent’s. “ _ Troopers _,” he tried again, only to be stopped by Ahsoka snapping her fingers.

“Stop,” she calmly ordered, and everyone froze. Even Leia seemed to quiet down, recognizing Ahsoka’s voice. “Everyone stop.” She eyed everyone, who was paying attention to her intently. “Give the girl to her father,” she ordered. Immediately the trooper walked over and handed the child to Bail. Kallus looked at her incredulously, to which Ahsoka simply glared and pointed a finger at him warningly. “Release the Queen.” As commanded, the binders were removed. Breha quickly moved to Bail’s side, the two huddled together.

She turned to Breha. “Your Highness, you and the Senator will wait for me in your husband’s office. Troopers, do not allow them to leave the palace.” The Queen, ever the trained politician, put on the best insulted face she could for being ordered around on her own planet, but complied. Once everyone was out of earshot, she slowly turned to the agent.

“Go ahead,” she said calmly. “You may be frank.”

Kallus, to his credit, didn’t lose his composure, but was still quite expressive. “Milady, Imperial protocol is quite clear on these matters. Any child that shows abilities like the Jedi are to be collected and delivered into the hands of the Inquisitorius.”

“Which _ I _ am the head of,” Ahsoka said. “Along with Lord Vader. Therefore, you have done your job, Agent.” The man did not appear satisfied. “What is it?”

“Milady,” he started carefully. “Your work in eradicating the Jedi threat is well known to the ISB. Still yet, not all of them are gone. What if one of them finds the Organa girl and trains her? She could be a serious threat. Despite the truth of their treachery, there is still a lot of sympathy for them in the galaxy. If a Jedi were to surface and raise support, we could face a full blown rebellion.”

Of course they could. That was the plan. Of course, she couldn’t say that to the agent. “What would you have me do?” she asked instead. “Steal this child from her parents?”

The agent schooled his face into a solid neutrality. “She is a threat to the Empire. She must be contained.”

Ahsoka stepped back and eyed the man. “I didn’t take you for a slaver, agent.”

The man recoiled. “I beg your pardon?!”

Her face remained placid. “A slaver. That is what would inevitably happen to the girl. Forced labor. Not hard labor, mind you, but she would eventually be a bonded soldier. Someone forced to fight for the Empire against their will. They wouldn’t even know they are a slave, indoctrinated from a young age with lies and half truths. No pay, no benefits, just servitude. Torn from her parents at an early age in service of a government.” She snapped her fingers. “Mmm! Oh wait. That sounds remarkably similar to what the Jedi did, isn’t it?”

Kallus’ mouth opened for a moment, confusion and then horror coloring his face. “That...cannot possibly be true.”

Ahsoka gave him a flat look, and began slowly pacing around him with her hands behind her back. “What, that the new regime takes and uses practices and members of the old? It happens all the time, Kallus. Look into history and you’ll find that most revolutionaries will keep key members of the old regime’s cabinet, because despite everything they stand for, they need subordinates that know how to run things, and known practices that work. Our Emperor is no different. He set up the Inquisitorius before it was taken over by Lord Vader and later, myself. _ He _ implemented that policy. I’m not sure about you, but I am not inclined to follow that paranoid decree of the old man. If, Agent, you think that security is achieved from tearing families apart because the child is born special, like the _ Jedi _ did, then I strongly suggest that you reevaluate your definition of what constitutes a credible threat to society. The child, or the government that sanctions such actions.”

The agent was speechless, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly for a good half minute. Finally he regained his composure, the icy veneer of an intelligence agent taking over. “You speak of treason,” he said.

The Sith smiled. The man was only a bit older than her, around Anakin’s age, but it was still obvious that he was a green rookie, still fresh from the academy. The words ‘duty’ and ‘honor’ and ‘patriotism’ still rung in his head. He would learn just how dirty the Empire was like everyone else. Or he would plug his ears and shut his eyes when faced with the horrible truth.

“From a certain point of view, yes. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to turn me in to Palpatine? What happens then? You, Agent Kallus, would be indirectly responsible for the enslavement of an innumerable amount of children. Do you think you could live with yourself?”

The man hesitated, uncertainty obvious. He schooled his face into a stony mask, but it immediately faltered. “No,” he admitted. “I could not.”

She tilted her head, a faint smile pulling at her lips. “Disagreeing with the Empire’s propaganda, Agent?” She gave a slight shake of her head, tsking. “What is the galaxy coming to if the ISB itself can’t inspire absolute loyalty in its members? I leave you to your work, Agent. I trust you have some things to think about.”

She turned and left him. The Force was quiet, speaking of neither success nor failure. The agent had a lot of thinking to do, but it was very unlikely he would turn her in for this. Even if he did, Palpatine would just give her a slap on the wrist. Every once in awhile he would remind her or Anakin that he isn’t blind, and point out something they have done. He hadn’t showed awareness of the larger things though. Fulcrum, the surviving Jedi, or the slowly growing list of names in the Imperial Military that are not satisfied with its current ruler.

It was surprisingly easy to find members of the regime that weren’t completely loyal. All one has to do is search for reprimands for hesitation or disobedience when _ questionable _ orders are involved, and then pick through those. When surrounded by people that you disagree with, the sudden appearance of a friendly face- even if it is a death mask- is like a lifeline one has to grab hold of to survive. Depending on the way the conversation turns, they are directed to either defect to the Rebellion or contact The Fulcrum.

She had a handful of agents in the Army and Navy, far less than her galaxy wide listeners, but it’s a process. Kallus though, he might be the gateway to something far greater. She has no one in the ISB so far. Having someone on the inside of the enemy’s intelligence network is something every person in her position dreams of. She would give him a month or two to figure out where his judgements lie, and then if he seems willing, Fulcrum would show up a while later.

That was later, though. Right now, she had something much more pressing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those of you who have been paying attention won't be surprised by this chapter. As far as Leia being an awakened Force sensitive anyway. We'll see more of Alderaan in a bit.
> 
> Kallus' group getting wiped out is canon. It's what lead to his hatred of the Lasat, as the one that finished most of them off was a Lasat. Here, his "Empire is always right" mentality hasn't had time to cure. He's still idealistic, but still very broken. Ahsoka's words will have an effect. What that effect is, we will see.
> 
> Bail knows where Kenobi is, and took his warnings seriously. However Force suggestions are a bitch. There will be no telling. At least for now.


	15. Full Circle

**Royal Naboo Starship, Enroute to Tatooine**

The sound of the respirator was a constant companion. For four years he had been stuck in the outmoded suit, constantly suffering under its inadequacies. The limbs were too long, the body glove caught against snags, the massive control panel on his belly was an obvious target for anyone with half a brain.

For half of that time, at least, he had been slowly weaning himself off of the black cage. His eyes were no longer hypersensitive to light, and he could enjoy color once again, the red tint of his lenses removed for more natural sight. His skin, once a constant, raw red, had gradually healed into something that was merely pale from a lack of sunlight. The synthskin replacements that had to be regrafted to his rotten frame every other week were no longer necessary. He even had been growing his hair once again, though only in limited quantities. His head was limited to a short buzz cut, and his face could not go past stubble. Any more would risk detaching and getting caught in the suit’s delicate systems. His throat, once constantly raw beyond measure, could enjoy solid food once more.

Then there were his lungs. The healing sessions with Offee and Ahsoka had helped him somewhat, but the Dark Jedi was correct in her assessment. Anything further than the minor improvements he had felt would require a Master’s touch, or invasive surgery. The first option was almost impossible. Save for a handful of junior practitioners, all of the healers were confirmed dead during the initial stage of the purge. The knowledge surely survived, perhaps in his master’s vaults, but his attempts to pry it from the man had all failed on the basis that Vader’s turn to the dark side rendered it useless. The second option was plausible, but extremely risky. The method required a complete shutdown of his existing systems and total organ replacement. The method used to keep his body oxygenated also ensured there was no way to actually upgrade it.

He could survive with a breath mask alone now. If both his lungs weren’t so damaged, he could simply wear one while they replaced them individually. As it stood, he was given a 5% survival chance. He would most likely suffocate due to the inadequacy of a single lung while they replaced the other.

It was maddening. On the surface he appeared as healthy as could be, save for a few lingering scars. On the inside however...he was barely holding together. A reactor with spot welds holding it together. Functional, but turn it off to repair and the crew that wants to do so will die. Meanwhile, the warship’s needs are ignored by high command, its superiors instead opting to run the vessel into the ground, giving false promises of respite if they complete  _ just one more mission _ .

He felt a poke along his bond with Ahsoka. She was concerned for him. His last private encounter with her was a disaster, with him giving in to his jealousy and storming out of the medical room on the  _ Exactor _ . As soon as his anger died down he realized that he had come to an erroneous conclusion  _ yet again _ . She promised to remain by his side this time, no matter what. So far her actions only backed up her promise. It sickened him that despite everything she had done, he still had suspicions about her. She was Sith, after all. It was in their nature to betray one another. She had not, however. She was loyal to him as a partner and family, and Barriss as a...something. Their relationship varied wildly between pure professionalism and arm candy depending on the Togruta’s mood.

Another poke. She would not relent until he replied. Always fussing over him, always trying to make sure he no longer feels alone. He wasn’t though. He had his adopted daughter, a tiny bundle of joy. He had his family, the Naberries, who had accepted him into their home and house based on a half truth. A half truth that he suspected they realized based on how he acts whenever  _ her _ name is mentioned. The pain and regret and guilt that they must see. He had Ahsoka, his sister, his daughter, his friend, who never gave up on him, no matter how much he lashed out at her at his worst.

Still yet, despite all of these people, he still feels like he only has himself. Like they are fleeting, that they could die tomorrow or walk away when they discover a truth about him. He ripped away his past to become powerful, and yet he ran back to it the moment his life became difficult.

Poke. With some irritation, he sent a poke back. Anything further than these mental nudges was impossible with distance. Hopefully that would silence her for the time being. His eyes finally refocused and he realized that he had stepped back into the queen’s chamber. Before him was a regal throne, fit for a monarch, naturally. Flanking it were a number of crates housing survey equipment and the basic supplies needed to create an initial camp from which a construction site could be built. It was somewhat of a mockery for this room to house such mundane equipment, when its true cargo was once more valuable than the galaxy itself. Alas, needs must, as the sleek design of the Naboo cruiser left little in the way of space for haulage. At least the mask of Lord Momin had some value to it, though he didn’t know what his master meant when he said it ‘spoke’ to him.

He shouldn’t have used this ship. He should have stuck it in his private hangar and requisitioned a shuttle instead. From the moment he stepped on board, the specters of his past returned in full force to haunt him. His adoration for Qui-Gon Jinn, his amazement of Obi-Wan Kenobi, his infatuation for Padmé, and his fear and guilt for leaving his mother behind in chains. All of it unbalanced him, filled him with guilt and shame for betraying those that once loved him. He shouldn’t have used this ship, and yet he could not bring himself to regret it. Underneath his self destructive tendencies, he did feel a slight hint of bittersweet nostalgia attached to it all.

Above all, the ship was  _ hers _ . He would see that it did not end up stuck underneath a tarp for the rest of its existence. There was very little of Padmé Naberrie Amidala Skywalker left in the galaxy. He would be damned if what remained of her legacy was hidden away in some vault for eternity.

Bootsteps behind him. Colonel Alva Brenne and her aide, Lieutenant Roggo, had come up behind him. Both of them feared him, which was good. It meant that they would not question him. He had little time for explanations, and in fact didn’t care for them at all. Brenne, a master architect, had been assigned to him by his master in order to design his eventual fortress. She had her use, but her would have preferred to unlock the secret of the cave before allowing the Imperials near it.

“Lord Vader,” the Colonel said. “We have almost arrived at the coordinates you specified. The navicomputer will alert us shortly.”

“Good,” Anakin said. “I will take the controls personally once we enter orbit, Colonel Brenne.” It was an unfortunate fact that he actually did not know exactly where he was going. The Force would eventually provide, and his intimidation would save him from the question of where they were going to land.

“Of course,” Brenne said. “Emperor Palpatine’s Directive was very clear- whatever you need, I do. But...if you will permit me one question- considering the nature of the project...why  _ Tatooine _ ?”

His hand twitched, and he saw the woman stiffen slightly as she felt the Force touch her neck. He let it go, though. Her question was valid. His own demons shouldn’t be her problem. Not unless she  _ makes _ them her problem.

The question still stood, though. Despite his vision, despite the promises the Force made to him, he still loathed the dustball. There was nothing on the hunk of rock but sand, animals, and the occasional decent person. After his mother was murdered by the vile Tuskens, he swore to never return to the world. When his master suggested that he glass it, he actually considered it for a short while. Everyone on there deserved nothing less.

He didn’t even know if power awaited him here. He saw a vision of a dark side cave. That was all. At first he wanted Mustafar. The shrine there was rife with dark side energy. It was a known quantity, and his hatred of what happened there gave him strength. At least it used to. As his flesh healed, the constant reminders of what happened had lessened. Now there was only the respirator and the sense of claustrophobia, and even those were optional. He kept the suit only to deceive his master. It was when he had it off for any length of time, which was only with his daughter, that he truly felt as if he was himself.

He turned his head at the Colonel. A number of explanations formed on the tip of his tongue, all of them he was unwilling to give.

The ship’s computer gently chimed before a robotic male voice came over the intercom. “EXITING HYPERSPACE MOMENTARILY. ALL PASSENGERS PREPARE FOR TRANSITION.”

Taking advantage of the excuse, Anakin turned and walked out of the compartment, leaving the Colonel without her answer. He made his way into the cockpit, sitting down and observing the controls. He could fly anything with just a cursory glance, and yet…

Just looking at the tiny bridge continued to infernally remind him of his traumatised past. The pilot of the vessel during the Naboo Crisis had humored the boy he was with a basic rundown on how the ship was flown. What was his name? Rikki? Rocko? It didn’t matter. He was likely dead.

At the behest of the navicomputer, he brought the vessel out of hyperspace. As soon as the tan orb was recognized by his brain, he felt his stomach twist. There it was. Tatooine. If there was a bright center to the universe, there was the planet it was farthest from. He grit his teeth and clenched his hands. He shouldn’t have come here. There was too much emotional baggage with this place. He should turn around now, go get his star destroyer, return, and blast it until the surface was molten.

Poke.

The fingers that were moving to the navicomputer stilled. Why must Ahsoka be so infuriatingly...concerned? With a growl he moved his hand from the hyperdrive controls and instead called up a surface map. The satellites orbiting the planet were poorly maintained, but they functioned well enough for the Hutts, giving incoming ships up to date information on weather, landing zones, and what little traffic there was. It hadn’t changed much from when he was last there. There was a new town he didn’t recognize, and another had been either wiped out by the Tuskens or swallowed by the desert.

A cave. He was looking for a cave. There were any number of such geological phenomena across the world. To a null, such a search could take decades. He, however, was Anakin Skywalker. He had the Force. He closed his eyes and stretched out over the planet, searching for this dark side locus. At first all he heard was static. The background noise of what little life there was on the world. It was tainted by struggle and hardship, something intimately familiar to him. As he focused though, he heard the hints through the Force. His fingers pressed against the keys to change the map’s view, slowly moving towards the epicenter. All throughout it, his blasted memories wouldn’t go away. Sensations of love, pain, struggle, and then admiration, exhilaration, and triumph.

_ Anakin? _

His eyes shot open. That sounded like...no. It couldn’t be. His old master was a long way away from here. For a moment he thought he might have sensed the presence of the old Jedi, but it was gone. Just a memory, something old and forgotten. He returned to his trance. Within a minute he was done. The coordinates were in the northern hemisphere, thankfully. While the suit and whatever building he would have constructed here would protect his body from the searing heat, he would prefer it to have at least  _ some _ proximity to civilisation. He checked the local weather. A sandstorm was active in the area. He considered waiting, but...no. The Force was pushing him  _ now _ .

He pushed forward on the throttle, and sped the ship towards the surface. As he approached the area, a stretch of desert southeast of Anchorhead, he could see the brown smudge of airborne sand covering the area. Eventually the ship’s computer realized he actually intended to fly into the hazard, and started beeping at him. With a simple press of a button, he shut off the warning. The ship would be fine. The navigational deflector, designed to prevent space dust from eroding the hull in hyperspace, would be plenty capable of protecting the vessel from a simple sandblast.

Actual navigation might be...less than ideal. With no hesitation, he sped into the cloud, and immediately the canopy shifted from desert brown to near pitch black, the sand forcing out all light. A dull rumble began vibrating throughout the hull from the constant shifting winds and clumps of particles taxing the shields.

“ALERT. EXTERNAL ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS HAVE BECOME EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS. ALL PASSENGERS AND CREW TO EMERGENCY STATIONS.”

He cursed the blasted computer. He would rather the Imperials stay in the back and out of the way, but soon enough- yes. Here comes the Colonel.

“Lord Vader- I don’t mean to question you, but you’re flying directly into a sandstorm! We can’t attempt a landing in such conditions, we will surely crash!” She stepped forward in the two seconds he said or did nothing to alter course, too focused on the Force and the task at hand. “I recommend an immediate return to high orbit. We can wait for the weather to pass and attempt a second landing.”

He rolled his eyes underneath the mask. He understood that most people didn’t understand the Force, but surely his abilities were at the very least  _ hinted at _ in the Imperial ranks? “I am aware of what I am doing, Colonel. We will be landing  _ now _ . We will miss our opportunity otherwise.”

The woman stepped forward again, and despite the constant blast of sand hitting the deflectors, he could hear the quiet sound of a holster’s retention strap being loosed. “Lord Vader.” She was showing a surprising amount of self control, considering the circumstances. He could barely hear the terror in her voice. “Nothing in my brief mentioned suicide. I am  _ strongly urging _ you to return to orbit.”

Yes, the woman had backbone. He had to give her that. She was only reacting to what she saw as a lethal threat. It was for this reason alone he didn’t kill her outright for preparing to threaten him. He raised his hand, and with a casual use of the Force he pulled the blaster to his grasp. She yelped when the weapon moved of its own accord, stunned from the display of sorcery. He placed the weapon on the console before returning his hand to the controls.

“Whatever I require, you will do. This was the Emperor’s directive,” he advised.

“Yes...yes. That’s...those were my orders,” she resignedly admitted.

He gestured to the copilot’s seat. “I require you to sit there. Say nothing. I have no intention of dying today. Have faith.”

The Colonel did as bid, strapping herself into the seat and holding on tight to the arm rests. Both the view outside and the sensors were dark, any hope of seeing anything dashed by the all consuming sand.

It was an interesting experience, being in a sandstorm. If one has shelter, they had somewhat of a similarity to being in a rainstorm. The plinks against the roof could be mistaken for drops of water, the darkening of the sky could be seen similarly to thunderclouds, and they both could produce lightning.

One such bolt flashed in the viewport.

Of course, where a rainstorm would bring life, sand brings only death. Standing outside during one without heavy clothing would quickly result in one’s demise. It wasn’t from the rocks striking the body, either. It was suffocating. Flying dirt laced the air itself, and was nearly impossible to filter out. Before long one would be coughing incessantly as the lungs tried to expel the filth, but with each breath to force the sand out, more would simply pile in. Quickly one would pass out, and die. Almost always there was some poor fool out in the streets, usually an offworlder, that underestimated the danger or simply lacked shelter.

Anakin knew better.

===

Their Mother’s wrath ravaged over the landscape, yet again furious at the sacrilege of the invaders. She punished her children for once again failing to remove their blight from her surface, choosing to remind all of her power.

RuuR’Oruu, shaman of his tribe, sat outside during the Scouring, as he always did. He was charged with listening to Their Mother when they failed her. The tight wrapping around his body prevented the earth from stripping his bones clean of flesh, and the mask over his mouth prevented him from being destroyed from the inside. The goggles over his eyes allowed him some clarity, but in the darkness of a Scouring there was little to see. Instead he  _ listened _ . Their Mother was a quiet one, but was loud when she wanted to be.

Then he felt it. Cold. A sensation that, on their world, is as foreign as one could possibly get. There were machines the invaders owned that could create cold, but this was different. It was a penetrating cold. A piercing cold. One that sunk into the bones and reminded all of death. RuuR’Oruu looked up, and in the dark brown mass of land that sailed through the sky, he saw flashes of bright blue. They were small and dim, but compared to the darkness were as bright as a twinkling star. He knew without a doubt, that it was the source.

Ice comes. Change comes.

Their Mother’s Children would be ready.

===

As soon as the ship lurched, the landing struts taking the vessel's mass onto themselves, Colonel Brenne let out the breath she had been holding in. Anakin glanced at her, his hands letting go of the controls and moving to remove the belt holding him into the pilot’s chair. They were very close to the cave, now. He dared not go closer, the ship’s sensors managing to tell him that there was a mass of  _ something _ there. Rock, most likely. None of that truly mattered, though. They were currently sitting in hell.

This was Krayt’s Doom. An area that was under perpetual storm. An area so inhospitable, it was said that even the mighty krayt dragons kept away for fear of having their flesh torn asunder by the eternal sandstorm. If there were ever a spot fit for a dark side locus, this was it.

He stood and strode from the room, heading towards the ship’s boarding ramp. The Colonel fumbled with her safety straps before jogging up behind the dark lord. She stilled when he turned to the ramp.

“Milord, we can’t disembark now, the storm is still raging outside. We should wait until-” She stilled when Anakin, in his frustration, put a vice on her throat. This woman was growing tiresome. It was only Ahsoka’s words and the fact he would draw his master’s ire should the Colonel die that stopped him from outright strangling her.

“I grow tired of your concerns, Colonel. If I desire your advice, I will request it. Is that understood?”

Brenne, who had a hand at her throat, confused at the light pressure, nodded. “Yes, yes milord!”

Anakin released his hold, and returned to the panel. “You may wish to stand back. Sand has a tendency to appear in places it does not belong.” He did not wait for her to vacate the chamber, starting the cycle for the ramp to lower. He extended a hand and, much to the officer’s surprise, the compartment was not immediately filled with filth laced wind. Still yet, she held her ears slightly against the roar of the storm outside, and watched in amazement.

The Sith walked outside almost casually, though that was only to the untrained eye. He was in fact concentrating intensely, creating a bubble of the Force around himself. A shield, its purpose to keep the wind and its deadly payload away.

“Colonel Brenne,” he said into his comm.

_ “Yes, milord?” _

“Close the ramp. I do not wish to find sand in every corner of my ship.”

The Colonel acknowledged his command, though her uncertainty was obvious. He stretched out with his feelings once more and zeroed in on the dark side nexus. One foot in front of the other was how every journey began, and this one was no different.

He had never forgotten how much he hated sand. So much so that he thought it would somehow translate into a part of a decent pickup line. He rolled his eyes at how foolish he had been. A young boy with more hormones than sense. Regardless, he still disliked the substance. Walking on it was difficult, as it constantly shifted beneath one’s feet. Its tiny, particulate nature resulted in the fact that even if you simply stood on the surface of a world with it, you would find it hiding within your clothes. Even with his shield, Anakin fully expected to find his prosthetics grinding slightly, and his breather filter mildly caked in it.

He briefly considered glassing the place again.

He did not.

As much as he detested this world, he could not, for some reason, find it within himself to commit. As he wracked his brain for the reason, he came up with nothing at all. Silence. No, wait- there was something. Just the faintest hint of...guilt? Strange. He hadn’t felt guilt since the end of the war. He did not feel guilty about turning against the Jedi, about helping the clones slaughter them like the traitors they were. He did not feel guilty about the ways he enforced his master’s will. He didn’t feel- no. He  _ did _ feel guilty about Ahsoka. Not about turning her, though his clumsy attempts only provoked it. He simply provided truth. She turned herself. No, he felt remorse at his stupidity. In revealing her presence to the Emperor, he harmed her.

He helped enslave her. She had grown in power, yes, but she was changing, and not in the way he liked. He saw it when she fought, when she cackled and lost herself in joy and the thrill of battle. He saw it when people wronged her, and she punished them for it, slowly, letting it soak in so they  _ understood _ their transgression. She was not a torturer, by any means, but she toed the line. All the while, she spoke of healing and stopping the wrongs committed by their master, and it seemed that she didn’t realize she was slowly turning into the thing she sought to destroy.

Or it was something else. He saw how much she hesitated when pushing herself. When she was truly enraged, she never held back, but other times? He saw it, the girl she once was, taking reign and crying out in denial of what she had become.

The wind was growing stronger. He tore himself from his self loathing in order to focus on the moment. He paused and stretched out again, getting a feel for his surroundings. He checked, and tilted his head in curiosity. He checked again, and confirmed his findings. The nexus was the  _ source _ of the wind. With a satisfied smirk, he walked directly into it. The blasts battered at his shield, but the Force was at his command. He was completely safe. Still, each step grew harder as he advanced, the strength of the gale pressing ever harder. He grit his teeth, bringing his hatred of the world to bear as a shield against its wrath. Finally, when he thought it couldn’t get any more difficult, it stopped.

He staggered forward as the dust quickly faded from his view, and he dropped his barrier, the power no longer necessary. His mask had already switched to a low-light mode, but the blackness was too much for it. He ignited his lightsaber, its red hue filling the surroundings. Before him was a cave- no, these were ruins. Before him was a large, long tunnel. An adult krayt could probably have made the chamber its den. Flanking the sides were a number of artificial pillars, all of them toppled and broken into many distinct pieces. Among them were statues of some alien species he didn’t recognize. They had vertically ovoid heads and eye stalks sprouting out the sides, near the mouth. Moreover, this cave was absolutely soaked in the dark side. He breathed it in, relatively speaking, and felt his power spike from the sudden influx. He was not here to indulge. Not yet. If this was to be the site of his future fortress, he needed to calm the constant wind being expelled outside. Off in the distance was some manner of object. As he approached it, its features became more clear. It was a three pronged device, somewhat taller than a person and just as wide. Its arms were locked in an upward position, with a sphere between the three at the base, and three long feet flush with the ground and holding it steady. It was made of a black metal, and was covered in a script he didn’t recognize. For whatever reason, this nexus was expelling-  _ had been expelling _ its power for centuries.

It was time to tame it.

He sat down on the ground, and stretched out. The Force was angry here, wild and unrelenting. This was an old site. Very old, and its power matched. His initial grasp sent a pain through his body as it bit at him. He wouldn’t stop though. He reached out again, and again, each time getting closer to grabbing ahold of the thrashing beast that called the chamber home. It did not trust him, not after its former masters treated it so poorly.

He was not like them, though.

Ahsoka’s heresies had, as Sidious put it, infected him. The Force was not, as the older Sith had taught him, something to be broken. Something to be  _ enslaved _ . He had learned from an early age that enslaving something only succeeds in creating an inevitable enemy. It was possible to break a slave, that much was certain, but only if they were weak willed.

The Force was the farthest thing from the term.

When he finally got ahold of the thrashing beast, he felt his muscles burn as if he was on fire again. He grunted and grit his teeth, eyes slamming shut as he very slowly coaxed the beast to calm. The technique had nothing to do with the calm of the light. It was instead more like approaching a wounded warrior, one lashing out at his past, his pain, his nightmares, and simply reminding them that they are not alone. That despite everything, there is still an amount of respect and self control they should exercise. All warriors feel a kind of kinship to one another, be they allies or enemies. Through this kinship there was a certain amount of honor, be it aiding them when needed, or giving them a quick death.

As he held fast on the Force’s thrashing form, he was simply there for it. Ever so slowly, it stilled, first defiant, and then bewildered, and finally curious at Anakin’s presence. The pain gradually dulled, and was eventually replaced the sensation of simply being watched. Anakin watched back, the dark side’s amber eyes meeting his own. He got the sensation of curiosity and amusement before it simply lied down and stilled, resting for the first time in millenia.

As he slowly walked along the beast’s side, he gently stroked it. He felt its pleasure at his respectful touch, and granted him a dull numbness to the aches he still had. He commanded it to show him its secrets, but they were only words. There was no lash. He got only amusement in return as it showed him his back, and the rotten, long infected wounds left by its previous master. Anakin expected it to aid him in that manner when it was so injured, and so soon?

** _Patience,_ ** it whispered into his ear.  ** _My home is destroyed. I require a place to heal._ **

A place to heal. A home? Perhaps they have a common goal.

“Well, look at this. The decor in here is certainly...very...er...rustic.”

Anakin jerked slightly, his communion with the Force interrupted. The Colonel walked in, carrying a datapad.  _ How did she- _ There was no roaring of the sandstorm. It had stopped. Had his actions finally calmed Krayt’s Doom? No matter, he sneered within his helm.

“What is it, Colonel?” he spat. “My work here is delicate. I do not wish to be disturbed.”

“I’ve completed the initial design pass on your facility here. A bit functional, perhaps, but we can tweak.” Brenne leaned over and offered a datapad, which he accepted. “Have a look. I think you’ll be pleased.”

He observed the image. Apparently the cave they were in was part of a short cliffside. Spires of stone flanked the area, worn smooth by the constant sandstorm. How they managed not to be ground to dust was anyone’s guess. What he also didn’t understand was what he was looking at.  _ Is this a building? _ he wondered. It looked more like a mishmash of geometric shapes stuck together with adhesive. Still, perhaps it would serve, if he grew to understand it.

He presented it to the Force, and got a snarl in return. That was a no, then.

“You are wrong,” he said, handing the pad back to her. The Force had no further guidance, so he offered none to Brenne. She would return with another style eventually, and he would probe the Force once more for its opinion. As she walked out, he returned to his work.

He knew very little of healing. Offee had passed on what she knew that surpassed his knowledge, but he didn’t seem to have the talent for it. It was very rare to find direct damage to the Force. The most recent example was the Jedi Temple turned Imperial Palace. Still, luckily, healing flesh and healing the Force was almost identical. The Force comes from life, after all.

He reached in and drew upon the quiet flicker of light that he kept hidden from his master. Only Anakin, Ahsoka, and Offee knew of this heresy. The Inquisitors were not ready. Once Offee took control, they could begin changing its ways in earnest.

Just as he was taught, he quietly applied the healing light to the wounds the Force had suffered here. It perked up and looked at him, a curious tilt to its head, but did not protest.

Of course, once he had begun, there had to be another interruption. Only this one sounded involuntary. A terrified shriek echoed in from the outside, followed by a blaster shot. Anakin grumbled and stood up, calling his weapon to his hand. The desert was as it always was, bright and dry and lifeless. The ship was unblemished by his flight, the shields doing their job perfectly. Except for one aspect.

Colonel Brenne was lying at the base of the ramp, a smoking hole in her chest. Anakin scowled. His master would not be pleased by this. Still, it was odd. The Lieutenant should not have acted in this manner. He placed his thumb over the ignition switch of his lightsaber and stepped inside. The Force was twisted here, and newly dark. Interesting. He followed its source into the room the architect and her aide had claimed, and found the Lieutenant sitting at the desk, apparently working on a design. Except- no, that wasn’t him. He was wearing the Sith helmet.

The helmeted man turned, a pair of slits glowing red in its visor. A Sith spirit. When Sidious had given him the mask as some kind of guide, he assumed it as some kind of joke. A Sith that forged a legacy through creation, rather than destruction. He had said that the mask had him of its story, but Anakin dismissed that. Until now.

Apparently ghosts were real, and they possessed unlucky Imperial officers. He considered simply speaking to it, but it was obviously a threat. If the mask could speak without a body, then he would do so as such.

It took a single cleave of his lightsaber to kill the host body.

As he considered what to do next, Anakin spied a blue glow from a holo emitter. He stepped forward and investigated, finding...now  _ that _ was a fortress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real notes this time. I know that a lot happened here, but I'm in a funk. Apologies.


	16. Initiative

**Inquisitorius Headquarters**

Barriss Offee, the Third Sister, watched silently as the acolytes went about their business. With all of the easy to find Jedi having been taken care of, work had dwindled down to a trickle. Project Harvester was still in effect, of course. Every month they would get at least one message from one of the academies about a cadet that had too-high scores, or a garrison that caught a child or even an adult that exhibited some trait of the Force. They were all brought here, and run through the grinder. There were a couple dozen acolytes, now. Maybe two of them would survive the next year, be it physically or mentally. Newborns with Force sensitivity were oddly rare these days. It was almost as if the Force itself didn’t want them to be used as weapons.

Regardless of what the Force wanted, she had a job to do.

“You have to want it!” she shouted at the group. The task was an easy one, or at least one that would have been easy to teach a batch of Jedi Initiates. Move a small object. Not even far. Just perhaps a few centimeters. The issue was that she was dealing with people that grew up outside of the temple. These people could not even imagine that the power that laid locked within them was real. It was her job, which the Grand Inquisitor had pushed onto her, to break them of this belief. By any means necessary.

“The Force is strong with the lot of you, you just simply refuse to see it. Take hold of your emotions and push. I do not require much, just a nudge will do.” She had been known as a bit of an ice queen even among the Jedi, and once she fell, it only got colder.

A frustrated groan erupted from just outside her vision. Her eyes snapped to the source, a Devaronian boy, not much younger than her. “You ask the impossible of us!” he yelled.

Barriss smirked. That was what she was waiting for. “It’s only impossible because you have deemed it so,” she said, bringing out her weapon. The red blade made all of them freeze in fear and uncertainty. “The Empire has little use for those that refuse to accept reality.” She raised a hand, pulling the boy into the air and suspended him there, preventing him from fleeing. Everyone watched as she calmly walked over to him. Except for the boy, who began trying his hardest to move the little cube of aluminum. His hand pushed at the air again and again, and Barriss felt the gentle breezes of his struggle in the Force pushing fruitfully at the object. Finally she raised her blade, and with a cry the boy shoved forward, knocking the cube off the pedestal, and even making Barriss waver slightly.

She dropped him without fanfare. “There, see? You can do it. All it took was a little motivation!” Her voice was cherry, but her heart was not. She extinguished her weapon and reattached it to the magnetic holster on her back. “Now that the lot of you have seen it’s possible, I won’t accept any more failures. I expect all of you to have moved your targets at least a centimeter by the end of the day. Whoever is the last to not do so will be killed.” She smirked, a false thing. “Good luck!” She turned and left, only to find Ninth Sister leaning against the doorway.

“What is it?” Barriss asked, all traces of the false pep gone.

Ninth Sister, a Dowutin female and former Jedi Knight, simply smirked. “I think we should talk.”

The Mirialan simply glared. “About what.”

Ninth waved silently and began to walk. Barriss, as hesitant as she was to trust any of her fellow Inquisitors, did as suggested. Ninth was an avid supporter of Ahsoka, if only because the young Sith had killed the former Sixth Brother during the uprising on Raada. Ninth had hated Sixth ever since he betrayed the former, using her as a shield to escape mind tricked clones during the Subjugation of Dac. Despite her loyalty to the Togruta, Ninth was not privy to all the details of the Sith machinations. She was a pawn, and she knew it, but she seemed to be fine with that.

It was well out of earshot of the acolytes when Ninth spoke. “I know something’s going on.”

“There’s always something going on,” Barriss said, bored.

“No, I mean between the bosses and First.”

Barriss waved her hand dismissively, despite her curiosity. “Of course, he works for them.” She was surprised to suddenly find one of the Dowutin’s massive hands on her shoulder, pushing her into a wall. The Mirialan’s smaller frame allowed her to slip away, and in and instant she had her weapon in her hand. “Do  _ not _ touch me.”

Ninth didn’t seemed fazed, instead jutting a finger at her with a scowl. “Then don’t treat me like an idiot. I know there’s some kind of plot going on. You’re Venatrix’s favorite, and yet you’re still stuck in third. So either you’re really as broken as First says you are, or you’re hiding something, and I doubt it’s the first option.”

Barriss pressed her lips into a line, frowning before relaxing only slightly. “Alright, talk.”

Ninth said nothing for a moment, and the Mirialan could feel the darksider stretching out, trying to get a gauge of anyone spying on them. Seemingly satisfied, she led them into one of the maintenance hallways. “First is  _ happy _ .”

That made Barriss’ heart sink. The Pau’an was never happy unless he was about to kill or torture a Jedi. Satisfaction at a job well done. A plan coming to fruition. “You’re sure?”

Ninth grunted in irritation, crossing her arms. “Look, we all have our talents. Mine is empathy. I can read everyone like an open book. Except the Emperor, freaky bastard. Yes, I’m sure. What’s more, Second is giddy.”

Barriss’ paled slightly. Second was a wierdo, always spouting out some kind of nonsense when spoken to. She liked torturing people, or even just watching. So if she was happy like this...it couldn’t be good.

Ninth nodded. “Yeah, you get it. Alright look, I’m done standing around and acting ignorant. Whatever you and your girlfriend are doing-”

Barriss sputtered. “She’s not my  _ girlfriend! _ ”

The Dowutin just smirked and nodded. “Uh huh.  _ Right _ . Well whatever and your  _ friend _ are up to, I want in. I’m tired of First’s bullshit, Second’s creepiness, and whatever Tano has done to Vader, he doesn’t treat us like trash anymore.”

The Mirialan managed to regain her composure long enough to cross her arms, schooling her expression into something unreadable. “And even if this so called plan existed, why should I tell you about it?”

“ _ Because, _ even if they’re going up against the Emperor, I’d rather fight for the two Sith that treat me with respect. You remember what the Emperor did to us. Tortured us when we failed, called us filth, said we were good for nothing. Screw that.”

Barriss hesitated, despite the Force’s assurances that her sister in darkness spoke the truth. Neither Ahsoka nor Vader had given her permission to include any other inquisitors in their plans,  _ but… _ If what Ninth Sister said was true, she doubted there was time to ask for permission.

“Alright,” Barriss said. “I’m not going to tell you  _ everything _ though.” The large woman simply smirked in triumph. “The short version is that Ahs-  _ Lady Venatrix _ and Lord Vader are planning on me taking control of the Inquisitorius. They’ve been training me for the past two years.”

Ninth stepped forward in sudden interest. “You’re  _ Sith?! _ ”

Barriss put up a hand. “No, no. They’re specifically not doing that, so the Emperor doesn’t punish them and force them to kill me. They’ve only been training my lightsaber skills, and a couple other tricks.”

The Dowutin snorted, grinned, and shook her head. “I thought you were holding back during the spars. Why haven’t you taken it yet? I’m sure you could beat them now.”

Barriss shook her head. “No, not yet. I’m not ready, and more, they’ve told me not to try yet.” She paused. “I suppose that, ready or not, it’s time to try. Though, we need to do something else.”

“What do you need, boss?”

The Mirialan smirked at that, but shook her head. “We aren’t going to be inquisitors anymore. Not when I take over. I’m getting rid of our dehumanizing titles. No more numbers, at least in private. So,  _ Masana _ , what I need is to find proof of First’s treachery. If I’m going to kill them without permission, I’ll need something to earn our lords’ forgiveness.”

The massive woman was slightly taken aback, her eager expression melting into surprise, and then satisfaction. “You know what? Just for that I’ll follow you into Chaos. Raid his office?”

Barriss smiled. “Raid his office.”

Masana Tide walked up to the Grand Inquisitor’s office with as much a casualness as she could muster. The Boss was off hiding in some corridor down the way. While Masana didn’t exactly feel endeared in being the one to lie to the Pau’an, she understood that Offee was Tano’s favorite, and not trusted by the man she was about to face.

She knew that something like this would be happening for some time. She wasn’t lying to Offee when she said she was an empath. Emotions were her  _ thing _ , and nearly everyone was an open book to her. It made figuring people out all too easy, and with her rather lackluster combat skills, Masana was often overlooked and underestimated. She wasn’t Ninth for lack of a reason, but she liked it that way. Very few people expected the two and a third meter woman to be the quiet, observant one.

When she had first met Vader, the man was nothing but roiling pain, grief, and anger. Not the good kind, either. It was aimless, and threatened to consume everything in sight. He demonstrated this when he took over their training, cutting off portions of their bodies to teach them “loss.” While all the Inquisitors hated him for it, she also understood. Anyone with half a brain realized that he was simply showing them the truth as he saw it. Being stuck in that suit must have been hell. He certainly inflicted a part of it upon them.

Then Tano showed up.

It was like a whole different person took Vader’s place. Sure, the dark side still rolled off him in waves, but underneath the surface emotions, she felt something that was not expected of a Sith. Relief, healing, and a sense of kinship. The pain had been dulling ever Masana she saw him with his  _ partner _ , and it showed when his beatings were ever so gradually losing their lasting bruises. Then there was the pride and  _ love _ whenever the younger Sith displayed leadership and strength. That certainly threw the Dowutin a curve ball. However she quickly gained suspicions, and then confirmations. Vader appeared the day after Anakin Skywalker supposedly died, and was now running around with the Jedi’s old Padawan. Old holos of Skywalker fighting looked almost exactly like Vader, but without the suit, and the lightsaber he wielded.

Exactly the same, only bigger. It’s a wonder more people hadn’t figured it out already.

The pain and grief she felt off the Big Boss though? That is hurt from someone close to them dying. It was too intense for anything else. Given Skywalker’s reputation for being an emotional, angry mess, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that someone close to him had died, and it was related to the knight’s fall. Had he never run into Tano, she wondered if the monster of a man would have eventually destroyed the galaxy in his inner turmoil. It wouldn’t have surprised her.

Not that she was ever going to speak to the man about what she knew and suspected. She enjoyed living, thank you very much.

Her loud footsteps brought her to the Grand Inquisitor’s office, the man himself busy at one of his terminals.

“Yes, Ninth Sister, what is it?” He didn’t even look up, and the tone was dismissive. It only reinforced her resolve to see the little prick bleed.

“Seventh wanted me to tell you that Lord Vader wants you to contact him,” Masana advised. Irritation and then anticipation showed in the Force, accented heavily by satisfaction. Read like a book. The Pau’an let out a short sigh before seeming to sign off his terminal and standing up.

“Very well.” He stood up, and Masana left as he vacated his office. No sense in hanging around, appearing suspicious and all. As she walked down the corridor, she passed Offee, and with a silent gesture she told the Mirialan that the coast was clear. As Offee made her way to the target with her quiet footsteps, Masana leaned against the wall at the far side of the corridor as a lookout.

Barriss quickly made her way into the office. They had sabotaged the antenna to the holoterminal in the command center, so that would buy them some time. Then, depending on how much of a personal interest he took in getting it fixed, she estimated that they had between ten to twenty minutes before he returned. As soon as she sat down at his desk, she pulled out a data spike and shoved it into one of the ports. The drive was loaded with all manner of malware and security cracking mechanisms, and were designed specifically in mind for Imperial databases.

After all, the Inquisitorius did occasionally come across evidence of traitors, and the ability to quickly gain access to the personal files of potential internal threats to the Empire was paramount. Within seconds the lock screen had disappeared, and Barriss was met with the terminal’s desktop. There was nothing incriminating immediately visible. Unfortunate, but she didn’t take the Grand Inquisitor for a complete idiot. She thought for a moment, if he was conspiring with the Emperor against Ahsoka and Lord Vader, there had to be some kind of paper trail. She opened up his message history, and started combing through it.

There was a litany of usual stuff, reports, from her and her brethren, possible harvester candidates from the various Imperial commendants across the galaxy...nothing. She hummed and considered a possibility. Surely he wouldn’t? She checked his deleted message box and quickly scrolled through it. It was more of the same, except… Well, this certainly wasn’t suspicious at all.

_ Recipient: jtanlis@inquisitorius.emp _

_ Sender: shadowstalker3810@pinta.net _

_ Subject: IGNORE AT YOUR OWN PERIL _

_ Inquisitor. You should watch this. I think you’ll like it. _

_ -M _

_ <Attachment: traitors.mp4> _

Well, that was straightforward enough. She opened the attachment and set the player to mute. A shaky video had been recorded, obviously from some manner of handheld device. The quality was relatively poor, but it was a distant recording of Vader and Ahsoka fighting Eeth Koth and...Luminara. Barriss found herself cringing at the sight of her old master getting into a vicious fight with her friend. She knew the outcome, of course. Ahsoka told her exactly what had happened, but watching two people she cared about fight with such potential for lethality was not pleasant. She started skipping ahead. The video was about twelve minutes long, and she didn’t have time to sit through it all. She caught a few more glimpses of the fight, including Ahsoka  _ electrocuting _ Luminara-

She watched, stunned for a moment, before continuing past it. There was nothing special about the recording, aside from the fact that it was video evidence of treachery. She quickly copied it to her drive, and almost closed the messaging program when she noticed there was a reply sent back to the sender.

_ Recipient: shadowslayer3810@pinta.net _

_ Sender: jtanlis@inquisitorius.emp _

_ Subject: IGNORE AT YOUR OWN PERIL _

_ Thank you, M. This is exactly what I need. Please extend my gratitude to your master. _

_ -J _

Idiot. She copied the messages to her drive as well. That was good enough. Right? The Grand Inquisitor in possession of incriminating evidence, given to him by an unknown third party who  _ had a master _ ? The Pau’an didn’t seem surprised at all in his message as well, so it meant that he was prior contact with this...M. On top of that, he appeared to have a use for it. The message address was obviously a throwaway account from a free site. She could attempt to trace its connection origin, but she doubted it would lead anywhere other than a public access point.

Yes, this should be enough. She hoped. She closed everything before removing her drive and leaving the office. She walked quickly down the corridor and met back up with Masana, who had slipped around the corner upon seeing Barriss exit the office. The two found a quiet corner to speak privately.

“What’d you find?” the Dowutin asked.

“He had a recording of them letting the Jedi go.”

Masana’s eye went wide behind her visor. “I thought they left after Koth hit Tano with a boulder, and Vader chose to check her over chasing them.”

Barriss cringed slightly. “Don’t spread that around.”

The large woman simply smirked and shrugged. “You got it, boss.”

“Anyway, there was that, along with a short message exchange. Someone provided this to First. Someone who has a  _ master _ .”

Masana frowned. “More Sith,  _ great _ .”

“I’m not sure,” Barriss said. “There’s not much evidence. They could just be Dark Jedi, or even a simple servant. Maybe they’re not Force sensitive at all.” There just simply wasn’t enough information, and she absolutely loathed going into any situation with limited knowledge. Too many variables meant too many ways to be blindsided. It happened during the war with frightening regularity. A legion would go in on the Chancellor’s order, claiming that some vital system or hyperspace lane was threatened, and then they would walk right into a trap. Seeing as Palpatine was a Sith, it was obvious where the holes in intel were. At least now with hindsight. Seeing as they were actively fighting against the man now, she wasn’t sure if it was a boon or not. Simply having knowledge that their enemy was  _ the _ Dark Lord of the Sith terrified her. She regularly had nightmares of some final confrontation, where they would all get killed, and she or Ahsoka would be tortured, or worse,  _ she _ would break and kill her friend.

She waved dismissively. “Here and now. First has evidence incriminating them, and his reply shows that he wasn’t surprised about this, and he is going to use it. We can call our masters and advise them of this, and see if they want us to do something about it.”

Masana wasn’t too impressed, but she wasn’t about to betray the woman she bid to help. “We sabotaged the holo, though. I mean it won’t be hard to fix, but…”

Barriss pursed her lips. “Implications, I know. I’d just rather…” Not disappoint Ahsoka. “...not incur Lord Vader’s wrath.”

The Dowutin grimaced at the thought. “Okay, yeah. I’m on board with that too.”

As unsuspiciously as they possibly could, they made their way to the command center. The first time, Barriss passed in front of the doorway to check if First was there. He wasn’t. She spun around and waved Masana in, and the two quickly made their way to the holoterminal. A quick check of the systems revealed no problems. First had repaired the fault they stuck in the wiring. Or he had a droid do it. Either way, he probably realized that Masana had lied to him. Or he was busy yelling at Seventh.

Time was short. Barriss brought up the list of preset numbers and hesitated. Her finger hovered over Vader’s name, but she wondered if the man would punish her for involving him in this. Technically, he held more authority than Ahsoka, and should be the one notified of this. She wasn’t sure…

Her finger tapped Ahsoka’s name before she could stop it. She felt the curious look of Masana on her side, but she refused to give her the satisfaction of even attempting an excuse. The terminal processed silently as the call was routed through the various stations of the HoloNet, and chimed quietly as the Togruta’s communicator was pinged. It took longer than she wished. Barriss frowned. Every second spent waiting was another second that the Grand Inquisitor had to potentially backstab them.

Her rage was interrupted by the cold gaze of Darth Venatrix. She eyed Barriss impassively, though the Mirialan noted a slight twitch of the mouth. A tell that her friend was just putting on a play. “Third Sister. Ninth Sister,” she said. “What is it?”

“Master,” Barriss said. “Ninth and I believe that First is plotting against you and Lord Vader. We found evidence that-” Several things happened at once. Ahsoka’s gaze widened to terror, a cry of warning was heard from the Force, a switch was clicked. Barriss  _ moved _ , sliding out of the way as a beam of red suddenly appeared where her chest was a split second before. The holo terminal hissed and then fizzled out as the plasma beam burned away vital components, Ahsoka’s now enraged visage disappearing. Both Barriss and Masana pulled out their weapons, holding them defensively as they observed their opponent.

“Ah, kriff.” Masana frowned, her every muscle tensing at the sight of the Second Sister. Behind her, the Grand Inquisitor slowly entered, hands clasped behind his back, an amused smirk on his lips.

Barriss did not disagree with her ally’s feelings on the matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Silly Barriss, thinking you could get away with that scot free.
> 
> Masana Tide's name is actually canon.


	17. The Daughter

**Royal Palace, Alderaan**

Ahsoka was confident that Kallus wouldn’t be too much of an issue. She had sufficiently cowed him into partial submission at the mention of child slavery, and there simply wasn’t much evidence of rebellion in the palace, anyway. Upon arrival at Bail’s office, she briefly considered what to do about the troopers.

“Locate Kallus and assist him if he needs it. I can handle security.” There wasn’t any harm in that. The troopers snapped to attention and voiced their compliance before leaving. She took a deep breath and entered. This would be interesting.

Both Bail and Breha were on the couch, calming their daughter down. Leia was all red eyes and tears, looking absolutely pathetic in her little white dress. Not that Ahsoka blamed her, of course. When a pair of men grab both you and your mother, one tends to get distressed.

“How is she holding up?” she finally asked.

“As expected,” Breha said, holding her daughter tightly. “You are not going to let them take her.” It was a question, and a command. Breha was a ruler of a planet before her, after all. While she was ultimately nothing against the might of the Imperial war machine, she refused to back down. Good. That was needed, both for her daughter and the future Rebellion.

“No,” Ahsoka assured. “I convinced the ISB agent the error of the Empire’s ways in this instance. The troopers are conditioned to not ask questions.”

“How can you be sure?” Bail asked.

“The Force assured me that there is no danger,” Ahsoka said. “He may actually be an eventual asset. I’m going to give him time to think about what the Empire means to him. Then Fulcrum is going to say hello.” She sighed, still trying to figure out exactly what to do here. Her Padawan training for this kind of scenario boiled down to ‘Inform your master. If that’s not possible, then inform the Council.’ Force sensitives were rare enough that lower priority missions were often put on hold when they were found. Now? Technically she was supposed to hand over any sensitive over to the Inquisitorius for training and indoctrination. It was a role she played, reluctantly.

Some families were more than happy to see their special child go. They were fearful of the Force and their child’s abilities, or they were simply die hard Imperial supporters and were proud to have contributed. Others were...less so. Tearing a child out of its mother’s arms was...distasteful. At least the parents didn’t have to live with the pain, and were mercifully executed.

She simply watched the family slowly recover from the traumatizing event.  _ Be the kind of Sith that Leia can look up to _ , she had promised herself. Naturally she wouldn’t if Ahsoka tore the girl from her family. Approaching this was going to be hard. She didn’t know what to say, and something itched at the back of her mind. That there was more to this than was immediately obvious.

“What happened?” she finally asked.

Breha let out a long breath. “I had just finished giving the agent a copy of our security records. We left my office, walked out into the hallway when Leia suddenly appeared. I... _ suppose _ we may have been a bit too zealous when describing the evil the Empire does, because as soon as she saw the stormtroopers, she screamed and threw her hands forward. Everyone was knocked down, and by the time I realized what had happened, the agent was ordering his guard to arrest me.” She shook her head. “I had never been more afraid for her in my life.”

Ahsoka nodded. “Leia?” The little girl peeked out from her parents’ loving arms and smiled. “Do you know what happened?”

The worst of the ordeal over, her puffy red eyes were joined by a cheesy smile. “I did magic?”

The Togruta smiled back. “Yes, you did. Have you ever used magic before?”

The girl’s head rocked up and down eagerly. “Uh huh!”

Interesting…though the parents’ expressions of shock and fear were much more intense than the Sith’s idle interest. “When? What did you do?”

“I can make my toys fly! In my room. I’ve been practicing.” The child could not look more proud, though it quickly faded when Ahsoka simply expressed bewilderment. “Was that wrong?”

“No, Leia,” Bail quickly said, squeezing his daughter once again. “You should never be ashamed of your gift. Just be careful with who you show it to.” That was certainly true, though Ahsoka was mostly wondering how the girl managed to figure out how to practice using the Force with zero guidance whatsoever. That would require enough raw power for her to actually notice what she was doing, and learn from her mistakes. A scary amount. An almost  _ Anakin _ amount.

“Yeah!” the girl shouted, but her parents quieted her down. “I always stop when someone is close. Like the cleaning ladies.”

“How do you know when they’re close?” Ahsoka asked.

The girl just shrugged. “Uhdunno. I just know.”

The Togruta nodded and turned, stepping over and looking out the window. Something wasn’t adding up. She thought back to the events of the day. Bail was adamant about the dangers of the dark side, something passed on to him by Obi-Wan. Fair enough. Then there was the sudden fear when she said there was a Jedi in the palace. A Jedi wouldn’t cause fear in a man that supported them. Shock and concern, yes, but not fear.

Fear only manifests when someone recognizes a threat. A Jedi wasn’t a threat, but he saw one anyway. Of course, a threat wasn’t limited to himself, but to his family. Which meant that he had assumed the worst. The worst meant that he  _ knew _ Leia was Force sensitive, and that she had likely been discovered.

That meant they had either hid the midichlorian test, or were aware of the child’s parentage. Leia was adopted, after all. Everyone knew it. Breha was unfortunately not suitable to bear a child, and had several miscarriages over the years. Adoption was the only option.

There was something else, though. She wasn’t seeing the whole picture. She turned and looked at the family again. More specifically, Leia. Where had she seen those big, chocolate eyes before? The Force coiled around her in anticipation, and Leia looked at her curiously, obviously sensing it.

Obi-Wan had been adamant about the dark side’s dangers. Bail knew what happened to children of the Force that the Empire knew of. Ahsoka had  _ not _ told him. Not personally. She didn’t want to damage her reputation with him any more than she already had to. He knew anyway. Obi-Wan told him, so he would know the danger of Leia.

_ Obi-Wan  _ had told him.

_ Anakin _ levels of power.

_ Padmé’s _ familiar, brown eyes.

** _You know who this is._ **

Her first reaction was outrage, but she immediately gripped that beast by the throat and crushed its neck. She had to be careful here. Showing any recognition whatsoever that she knew of Anakin’s child would show a level of familiarity that she shouldn’t have. Slowly, Ahsoka brought a hand to her face, partially hiding it as she closed her eyes, softly saying, “Oh, Anakin.” The two Alderannians looked at her with a tad of surprise, before resignation took its place. Leia, however, was naturally completely oblivious.

“What’s Anakin?” she asked, her child’s eyes completely full of innocence. Bail looked at Ahsoka, silently urging her, though she easily felt in hesitancy.

The Sith walked over and got down on her knees, a soft smile pulling at her lips as she remembered the better times of her relationship with the former Jedi. “Anakin Skywalker. He was my teacher. Did your father ever tell you about the Jedi?” The girl nodded eagerly. “He was a Jedi, and so was I. He taught me everything I knew. He was brave, powerful, but above all else, he was kind. We were together for two years. Fighting side by side.” Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Bail’s light twitch. He knew, and was hiding it from her. He would know that she would want to know this. He would pay for his deception in time.

Leia was eating it up, her eyes filled with wonder and amazement. “He could do magic too?”

“The Force,” she corrected. “It’s called the Force.”

“He did the Force?”

Ahsoka couldn’t help but huff a laugh and grin at the child’s error. “Yes, he did. He showed me how to do it too.”

“Woah...can you show me the Force?”

And there was the question. Ahsoka opened her mouth slightly, giving Leia a humoring look before she took a breath and looked at the Organas, a brow raised. The two humans looked at each other uncertainly. Understandable, considering all they knew. Their arms and hands held their child close, afraid to lose her to any number of things.

“I can,” she said, earning her a look from Bail. “But it’s up to your parents.”

Leia’s eyes shot up pleadingly at her guardians. “Can I can I  _ pleeease _ ?”

Breha frowned admonishingly. “Leia, a princess does not  _ beg _ .”

The girl huffed before schooling her face into something that might have passed as court appropriate. It was well known that Leia didn’t exactly care for the etiquette classes. She was only four, but she expressed a certain disdain for them that even someone of her age shouldn’t have. Still, she seemed to be taking them to heart. At least when she wanted to. “Mama? Papa? May ‘Soka show me the Force?  _ Please? _ ”

The Queen and her Consort looked at each other again, silently communicating through whatever nonverbal cues they had between them. Fear, uncertainty, pride, and love flooded the Force around them, and it made Ahsoka want to do right by the girl all the more. That being said, there was also a hunger within her. This girl was the daughter of  _ Anakin Skywalker _ . Her potential to become the greatest Force user in the galaxy was obvious. If she unlocked the power of the Force,  _ all of it _ , there would be nothing that could stop her, good or bad.

Then there was the largest issue. She was Leia Organa, but she was also Anakin Skywalker’s daughter. The same Anakin Skywalker who was very much alive and in constant grief that his wife and child were dead, murdered in a fit of- wait.

Padmé couldn’t have given birth if she was dead. Which meant that Sidious had lied to Anakin, and most of the pain and grief he suffered from was all based on a falsehood. If Anakin learned of this...she wouldn’t be able to stop him from attacking Palpatine in a fit of rage. That couldn’t happen. Even  _ if _ they succeeded, Bail would die for this. Breha as well. Leia would be traumatized forever. Their whole plan would collapse, as they didn’t have enough support to seize the Empire. They wouldn’t have to deal with Bail’s rebellion but...the military would likely rally under Tarkin.

That could not happen. Palpatine might have been a sadistic bastard, but he was at least smart enough to recognize the line and not step over it when it came to public outrage. Tarkin didn’t give a damn. He would run the Empire into the ground within a decade.

“Ahsoka?” Bail said, drawing her from her musings. The Togruta looked up at him, and noticed that he was looking at her expectantly.

“Hm? S-sorry I was just thinking. What did you say?”

“We were asking if there was any chance that this would simply...go away.”

Leia pouted. “But I don’t want to stooop!”

Ahsoka shook her head with a grim frown and stood up. “That’s not possible. She knows about it and how to use it. Theoretically I could memory wipe her with the Force but…” She grimaced. “Well, one: it’s wrong.” It was practically a crime against the Force to willingly remove someone’s access to it. On top of that, memory wiping another sentient was a capital offence in the Republic. Seeing as it destroyed the person that the victim once was, it was effectively murder. “Two: it’s extremely dangerous. I mean, there were those in the Jedi Order that were skilled at reading minds and memories. Technically they had the skill to rewrite another person, but they didn't. I was just a Padawan, so they never taught me.”

“Well, we won’t be doing that, so it’s not even an issue,” Breha said. That was good, because Ahsoka was fully prepared to kill them both on the spot and hand Leia to Anakin had they actually considered that barbaric practice. “There is nothing we can do?”

Ahsoka let out a short sigh. “Technically you could ask her to not use it, but that’s practically the same as asking a person to not use their hearing aids or glasses after discovering they exist.”

The two parents went silent before looking at each other once again. Leia, fortunately, didn’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation, and instead just waited with a slight fuss as her guardians decided if she could keep what was, to her, a fun toy. A curiosity. Not the power to bend reality at her whim, with the only things holding her back being force of will and the knowledge to use it.

Breha seemed much less apprehensive about the whole ordeal. Perhaps Bail had not passed along just how much potential there was for something like this to go wrong. Still, the damage had already been done. Even if they told Leia to ignore her powers, the girl wouldn’t. One would have just as much success convincing someone that sight was something to not use simply because one might view something unpleasant.

Their lack of speaking conveyed just how much they had already discussed the possible inevitability of this.

Finally, with heavy resignation, Bail nodded shallowly before turning to Ahsoka. “Can you teach her to be a Jedi?” he asked.

Ahsoka blinked, a bit taken aback at the question. Not because she was unwilling to train the girl. Far from it. More because Ahsoka had very little love for the Jedi way. She respected it, of course. The Jedi Order stood for twenty-five thousand years for a reason. However, she did not  _ like _ it.

And Bail knew this.

There were many after-report meetings that eventually meandered into Ahsoka’s increasing distaste for the Jedi way. These meetings often involved alcohol. He would ask how she was doing, and eventually she would bring up some topic of the Jedi way that just didn’t work out in the wider galaxy. Passionless logic was something unnatural to most sentient life, an aversion to procreation within the ranks meant stagnation at best, the various hypocrisies that were fed to everyone meant that eventually every Jedi brave enough to actually think outside the dogma would find a crisis of faith. Allowing oneself to feel, truly  _ feel _ , after years upon years of suppressing it? It was like she had been living life in a sensory deprivation tank. Elation, terror, rage, love, passion, friendship. These things were completely  _ natural _ , and yet the Jedi told everyone that such feelings were to be released into the Force, that they were somehow dangerous.

Then there were the things she didn’t talk about, even while tipsy.

There was the  _ power _ . She got a rush from it regularly when she let the Force course through her unabated. The natural laws of the universe didn’t apply to her or any like her. Anakin used to enjoy racing. He still enjoyed flying in a fighter craft. Ahsoka preferred acrobatics, sprinting with Force imbued speed and leaping from building to building on Coruscant. Sometimes she would just leap into one of the many traffic tunnels that connected the thousands of levels and fall until she saw fit, dodging speeders. Sometimes she would spot someone falling, an attempt at leaving the life they saw to be wretched. Sometimes she saved them. Sometimes not. Usually the ones that regretted it. The ones that realized their problems were ultimately fixable.

She wondered if Leia would enjoy that sort of thing. She seemed to be quite the little un-princess already. Antics like that would probably give Bail and Breha a heart attack, though. Still, that Leia chooses to do is up to her. Ahsoka would just have to do her best to teach the girl the best she can.

She wrestled with her emotions for a moment before beating them into submission. “I could,” she finally said. “However I don’t think that’s what you want. The way of the Jedi is a lifestyle choice.”

“They didn’t seem that different from me,” Breha said. “A bit more reserved and unflappable, but they were still people.”

“They were,” Ahsoka said. “But there were rules. For instance, I would have to take Leia away from you both. She couldn’t have contact with you to ever again, unless it was to help Alderaan, and no one else was able to do so.” The look of horror on the Queen’s face was response enough.

“But why?” Leia said. “I like it here. Mama and Papa are...Mama and Papa!”

“Well little one,” Ahsoka began. “The Jedi had to be focused. If they knew their families, their families could be hurt by people that want to hurt the Jedi. Then the Jedi might ignore their responsibility and try to help their family instead.”

“So?” the girl asked. “If a bad guy tried to hurt Mama and Papa, I would stop them!”

Ahsoka smiled and patted the girl on the head, who immediately saw it as a placation attempt. Smart. “It’s something you won’t understand until you’re older. The point is that family is a strength, but also a weakness.” It was something she understood intimately. Any of the people she cared about could be used as leverage against her, and Palpatine knew of two of them.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Leia pouted. “A thing can’t be good and bad at the same time.”

Ahsoka smiled hesitantly. She didn’t know what to do here, so she chose to ignore the child’s comment. “On top of the whole attachment thing, Jedi are duty bound to help the weak,” she continued explaining. “If she wanted to keep to the Code, she would have to eventually make herself known. Likely join the Rebellion.” Both of them flinched very slightly. A touchy subject for them both.

“I would rather not allow that to happen,” Bail said.

“Bail, we talked about this,” Breha said under her breath. “What Leia chooses to do when she is of age is her own choice.”

“Yes but-” he sighed, then glanced at Ahsoka for a moment. “Not now, please.” The look the Queen gave her consort said it was not over.

“Very well,” Breha said curtly. “Not a Jedi then. You can still teach her the skills?”

“Of course,” Ahsoka said with a smile. “I can start with how to stay hidden. Keep the Inquisitors off of her. The Emperor has been teaching me a lot. Not all of it is dark side stuff.”

“On that note,” Bail said. “Don’t...show her any of that.”

Ahsoka pursed her lips. “I wasn’t planning on it. I’ve seen what the dark side can do to people, and I’m not sure how to pass on my self control. You have my word. If she gets into that, it won’t be from me.” It was a half truth, of course. Leia would eventually spot the holes in the explanations Ahsoka would give her, considering that the one explaining the danger of the dark side was fallen herself and yet not a horrible monster. Eventually she would start experimenting. Perhaps she would find a Sith holocron lying about in Ahsoka’s ship. Whoops.

Then there was the whole issue with Anakin. She wasn’t going to keep this from him forever. Leia was his daughter. She understood the need to hide her from the formerly raging Sith, but she was the Sith’s daughter nonetheless. It would be all too easy to confide in the girl that her birth father was alive and tell the tales of the Hero With No Fear. Later, when she could hold her tongue, she would learn that her father was Lord Vader. The man who was ultimately betrayed by everyone he held dear, and now worked to make a better Empire. Bail was sure to fill her head with rose tinted words about how great the Republic was. Ahsoka would be sure to rectify that.

She would let Anakin know his daughter was alive, but unknown. Obi-Wan spirited her away, and Bail knew nothing more. Or something like that. She would figure it out. Once the Organas had become unnecessary or Anakin calmed down enough to not immediately murder them, she would let him know that his daughter had been taken care of. It would be an unpleasant experience, but he would eventually come around.

Or they would fight to the death.

She would cross that bridge when she came to it.

“When can you start?” Bail asked.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and let it out slowly, tallying up everything in her schedule. “I’m sure I can squeeze in a couple sessions a month. My workload in the Empire just quadrupled. Vader is...away. So I’m Palpatine’s new…” She glanced at Leia. “...favorite person.” There was a look from Bail that signalled they would be talking about this later and without an audience. Fair enough.

“Why are your eyes different?” the girl asked, breaking the tension the adults shared. Thank the Force she was completely oblivious. For now at least. In a year or two she would start figuring things out.

“The Emperor and Lord Vader can use the Force too. But it’s bad Force. I have to use the bad Force so they don’t know I’m a spy.” Leia’s big eyes went wide with shock.

“But they’re so pretty! Pretty things aren’t bad,” the child argued.

“Well, that’s because I’m not bad. The bad people that use the bad Force have yellow eyes. Like the Emperor. Mine are gold because…” She paused, unsure of what to say. “The Force likes me. I don’t hurt it like the Emperor.”

“Can I have eyes like that?”

“No,” Bail immediately said. “The bad Force can make you bad. Ahsoka is very strong, but she is still risking herself.”

“I won’t be bad! Promise!” Ah, the optimism of a child.

“Maybe, when you’re a lot, lot order, I’ll tell you how to get gold eyes,” Ahsoka said. “But until then, you have to listen to what I say about the Force, alright? That means no bad Force. Ever.”

Leia pouted a bit, crossing her tiny arms before finally giving in. “Ooookay….”

===

**ISD ** ** _Basilisk_ **

Ahsoka walked into her office. Palpatine had been sure to have a drydock clear an entire section of the usual rooms and reserve them for his apprentice’s use. Many were expected. The aforementioned office, larger quarters, a training room. Many were simply empty and waiting for a function. All of them held bugs and other spy devices. They were all destroyed enroute to Alderaan. She wasn’t even really angry at it, either. It was all expected, naturally. She and Anakin were planning on killing the bastard. He had a right to try and stop them.

However, as she took steps into the room, she had the sudden feeling of being watched. She turned, slowly, reaching out with her feelings to find out what had happened. Someone had entered her rooms, most likely to replace the bugs she had destroyed. She quickly checked the previous locations, and found them bare of anything intrusive. Still yet, the feeling of being watched remained.

She would check later. For now, she had a report to give. A quick ping on the holo, and she was kneeling at a location in front of her desk. Within moments the Emperor’s head appeared, taking up half the room. She never quite understood that about him. He was already the man in charge. Why did he feel the need to show everyone every last wrinkle on his face?

_ “Lady Venatrix, I trust you have good news for me?” _ Sidious asked, voice laced with anticipation.

“Yes my Master.” She brought her head up. “I have convinced the Organas to fall in line. It will be slow, as I am allowing them time to adjust to the new order of things.”

_ “They have had  _ four years _ , Venatrix,” _ he hissed.  _ “I already consider that extremely generous.” _

She nodded. “As you say. I was simply trying to avoid starting a revolt.”

Sidious mouth pressed into a line.  _ “You are trying to prevent a future problem for the Empire. Very well. We shall see if your labor bears fruit. However if it does not, you  _ will _ return and rectify the problem.” _

“Queen Breha cares deeply for her people, Master. I made it clear that if Alderaan didn’t come to the Empire, the Empire would come to it.”

The master began quietly cackling, much to Ahsoka’s dismay and confusion. An amused Sidious would never good.  _ “You claim to want to be a just ruler, yet you are willing to turn to Tarkin’s way of things if it doesn’t work. I wait for the day you finally find wisdom in the proper way to rule a galaxy. Until then, do try and figure out who you are. I can’t have you switching back and forth as you enforce my will. However, that can wait. Rise.” _

She did so, but the man’s claim still shook her. She hadn’t actually threatened Alderaan, not truly, but if she was sent to a planet with a similar task, would she have been willing to go through with it? To deploy a garrison and rule through force?

She found the answer to be yes and...strangely didn’t feel bad about it. Odd.

“What is thy bidding?” she asked, trying to put the introspection off for another time.

_ “Do you remember Mel-Koria, Apprentice?” _

It took her a moment, but eventually she did recall the first time Sidious had allowed her to sit in the chair. The Mel-Korian senator was her first interaction. He wasn’t the last. “I do,” she said.

_ “They have kept to the  _ altered _ deal that the Empire offered them. Until now, at least. Something has happened on the world, and shipments have started to slow. Go there and solve the problem.” _

“As you say.” She knew better than to ask for more. If he thought she needed more information, he would have given it.

Sidious’ expression quickly turned stern. _ “This world and its resources are vital to the Empire’s functioning. I expect  _ immediate _ results, Venatrix. No slow adjustments this time. If you have to enlist the sector governor’s forces and seize the planet, do so.” _

She frowned, but couldn’t argue with the man. His word was law. “Yes, Master.”

He smiled. _ “Good. Do not fail me. I have a gift for you, should you succeed. Something I think you will be very... _ hungry _ ...for.” _ He disappeared, leaving her alone. Alone with her little spy, at least. Sith hungered for one thing above all else. Power. The holocron he had given her with the synthetic crystal instructions had only one purpose, but it was still hers to keep. He was dangling another scrap in front of her in order for her to obey, and she knew it. She didn’t really care. She  _ wanted _ it, bad. The lightsaber training and other teachings he had given her were nice, but he was very stingy with actual Sith knowledge. Technically even the lightning wasn’t an outright Sith technique. Anyone with enough hatred could manifest it.

She leaned over and commed the bridge. “Captain?”

_ “Yes, milady?” _ the officer replied.

“Give Agent Kallus a shuttle so he can return to Imperial Center. Once he is away from the ship, plot a course to Mel-Koria. The Emperor requires my presence there.”

_ “It will be done, my Lady.” _

Ahsoka smiled a bit. It felt good to have people do what they were commanded. She could still hear a hint of the man’s disdain for her over the comm, but he would either eventually deal with his prejudice through her respect for all under her, or he would eventually be replaced. Within fifteen minutes, Kallus was away and headed back to the ISB headquarters for his debrief, and the  _ Basilisk _ was well enroute to its next assignment.

An hour later, the comm rang.

“The Inquisitorius?” she asked absently, accepting the call. It was from the command center, not a single one of the inquisitors. Probably the Grand Inquisitor, telling her about some sighting. It would have to wait. She was on the Emperor’s time. She took a no-nonsense stance and twisted her face into a cold glare. When Barriss and the Ninth Sister showed up, she was absolutely a little surprised, but didn’t show it.

“Third Sister. Ninth Sister,” she said. “What is it?”

“Master,” Barriss said. “Ninth and I believe that First is plotting against you and Lord Vader. We found evidence that-” Ahsoka didn’t continue listening as a figure stepped behind Barriss. Second Sister, and she was holding her lightsaber out. Unignited, but you only bring it out when behind someone for one reason. Fear flooded her and her heart stopped as she realized what was about to happen. She tried to cry out to Barriss to move, but thankfully the Force was with her friend, who pulled away at the last split second. Relief flooded the Sith, but it was quickly replaced with a thrashing, consuming rage. Second  _ dared _ to try and take  _ her _ Barriss? She was about to reach out and throttle the darksider through the hologram when the connection cut, likely due to damage from the lightsaber.

Every muscle in Ahsoka’s body felt like it was on fire. She wanted to take her lightsaber and destroy everything around her, despite the fact that would have solved exactly nothing. Her hands were clenched, the Force swirled around her, and it was only when she heard the sound of the transparisteel window cracking several times did she realize she was about to kill herself through vacuum exposure. She considered hailing the bridge, but dismissed it, instead electing to go up there herself.

The air temperature in the bridge suddenly plummeted seconds before their Lady stepped onto it. Captain Mullinore turned and looked at the alien with his usual, poorly hidden distaste. “Milady,” he said.

“Captain, alter course to Coruscant. I am needed there,” she ordered, not even stopping or looking at him. The Captain, intrigued, followed her to the front viewport.

“Ah, has the Emperor ordered you back? A new development?” he asked.

“No,” she said, or rather, slightly growled. “However I need to be there.”

“Might I ask why?”

She slowly turned, the usual warmth in her expression gone, and replaced with a cold stare. “You may not. Now do as I say.”

The officer looked visibly disturbed, but for some reason continued his self destructive actions. “Milady, I realize you are new to command, but I must suggest against this course of action. Disobeying the Emperor is the fastest…”

She wasn’t listening anymore. Instead she was considering her options of disposing the man. He was in her way, and must be cleared from her path. She had all number of options at her disposal. A lightsaber through the chest would be quick and relatively painless. She could electrocute the man to death and make an example. She could throttle the man like Anakin preferred. None of these clicked, and instead she found herself reaching out for his face. The good Captain naturally stepped back at this invasion of privacy, but he wasn’t fast enough.

As soon as her fingers touched his forehead, he froze, and shuddered. She wasn’t quite sure what she was doing at first, but after a few seconds, it became obvious. She was drawing the Force from the man and bringing it into herself. The man struggled to move, to speak, to even breathe. The entire bridge crew was staring. As soon as she realized, she flinched and yanked her hand back, severing the connection with a break. The null’s already weak constitution was overwhelmed by the sudden change, and he and fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. His skin was pale, his eyes were sunken, and he was completely still. Like a corpse or- well, he  _ was _ a corpse.

She blinked and stared at what she had done, both curious and horrified at the power she had suddenly developed- no, she had always known how to do it. It was instinctual, like breathing or mating. She had simply never had the inclination, or had she? For some reason there was a vague reminder of her murder of the Jedi on Taris. As she mused on what this could mean for the future, she turned to the bridge crew. They needed to be addressed.

“Let it be known that I will treat each and every one of you with respect, as long as you know when I am willing to accept input…” She gestured to the body. “And when I am not. Commander?”

A shaken man stepped up, newly terrified of the woman and her ability to kill someone by simply touching them. “Milady?” He managed to not break his voice.

“Set course for Coruscant, and have someone come up here to dispose of that,” she said, pointing to the late Captain. “You are in command now. Congratulations,  _ Captain. _ ”

As the man uttered his compliance in a weaker, stunned voice, she turned and stared out the window. She hoped that Barriss and Ninth would win their duel. Regardless of the outcome, Palpatine would surely be calling her anyway in the aftermath. Fights like this tended to get...messy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leia is Ahsoka's student, woot woot!
> 
> Alas, poor Captain Mullinore, we hardly knew ye. Don't get in Ahsoka's way when she's worried about her friends.


	18. Architect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of those chapters that I heavily borrow from canon. I hope I did it justice.

**Krayt’s Doom, Tatooine**

Anakin lifted the Sith helm off the dead Lieutenant’s body. Despite that there was no flesh in his hand to make contact, there was no sense at all in touching it and risking being assaulted by the spirit within himself. He looked at the helm, noting its age and damage, wondering exactly what had happened to the Sith that once wore it to cause such wear in the metal. Jedi, most likely. Every time the Sith appeared, the Jedi rose up to defeat them. Or  _ exterminate _ them, rather. Ahsoka’s history books she had allowed him to borrow were quite clear on the war the Jedi ultimately started on the dark side. A war started out of fear.

He observed the holographic design floating before him once more before leaving the ship. He had no sure way to know how to entice the spirit within to speak to him, but the nexus of the dark side within the cave might prove useful in that goal. He brought it within, careful to still not touch the cursed thing. Hovering the object in front of the strange obelisk, he brought the Force to bear on the thing, sensing its intrigue at his actions.

“What are you?” Anakin asked. At first he thought it was a trick of the light, but there was indeed a small flash of red within the visor before the two, glowing, red eye analogues began to show once again.

** _“I am Momin,”_ ** the mask said. A spirit, indeed. In a way, a form of eternal life that many Sith crave.  ** _“And everything I did was guided by one simple principle.”_ **

Without warning, the Force exploded out from the mask in the form of bright red light, enough that Anakin found himself staggering slightly from the weight of it all. He quickly found himself falling into a vision, the cave vanishing in favor of a primitive looking room. He could walk around and see, but any attempt at interacting with an object or subject would result in the offending limb passing through. Sitting on the floor was a small humanoid with pointed ears and messy, blonde hair.

** _Something I came to understand when I was very young._ **

Anakin listened to Momin as he narrated, and the scene playing out before him.

“Have you seen Flitta anywhere, Momin?” a woman asked, approaching the young boy from behind. “I swear, if she ran away again…” The woman was tall and wearing a dress, bearing the same pointed ears and messy blonde hair. A mother, then. “I don’t know why I let your father convince me to get a rada-cat in the first place. Nothing but-” The woman’s expression turned from mild annoyance to confusion, and then overwhelming revulsion.

“What...what have you  _ done?” _

The boy, Momin, said nothing as he silently created a small sculpture out of what was presumably the pet’s flesh, bone, and entrails with a wicked looking knife. Momin didn’t seem the least bothered by what he was doing. A likely sign of some kind of mental issue from birth. Or a simple decision spurred on by some odd or traumatizing event.

** _If people feel nothing when encountering something you have created, then you have created nothing._ **

** ** Anakin supposed that Momin had a point. He wasn’t much of an art man himself. Perhaps that was because he felt nothing at most depictions of what others deemed to be “artistic.”

The scene shifted. A larger room with a crowd of people. Sculptures and paintings lined plinths and walls. One piece in particular caught his eye. A massive “tree” of sorts, decorated by skulls, bones, and tanned flesh. All of it of sentients. Anakin wasn’t surprised at all when he spied a blonde haired teen standing proudly next to it. The crowd had various expressions of horror and revulsion on their faces, as expected. Likely what the boy wanted.

** _Pain and fear are the purest of all emotions, because they are the first we feel- at the moment of birth. They are a reduction, a reversion to our most fundamental, animal selves. Before we are anything, we can be _ ** **hurt** ** _. We can be _ ** **afraid.**

The crowd quickly flared into outrage as they exchanged their fear for anger. Some called out for the one responsible. They quickly spied the only one in the room seemingly not rooted to the ground in horror.

** _Now everyone enjoys being made to feel this way. That is fine. They can lie to themselves about what they are. I will show them the truth._ **

Police were called, and Momin was, much to his frustration, arrested. The scene shifted to the inside of a jail cell, Momin sitting cross legged and holding an insect with the Force.

** _For my dedication to these principles, I was imprisoned, my tools taken from me. I did not mind. If my audience was afraid of _ ** **me,** ** _ then I had succeeded, in a way. The name Momin had come to mean something to anyone who heard it. Difficult truths and uncompromising vision. I, Momin, was a sculptor of the mind. They locked me away so they would not have to see it._ **

As Anakin watched the memory boy crush the insect, he found himself somewhat kindred with the dead Sith. He too had made a name for himself among the Imperial military as a man who did not tolerate the petty whims and desires of the officers beneath him. There was much they could do, but officers that could see the bigger picture were few and far between.

** _But truth cannot be imprisoned. My name echoed out into the galaxy, and one heard and understood and came for me._ **

A lightsaber, red in color, pierced the door and began to cut through it. Once a hole had been cut, the offending metal was removed, revealing a lithe woman with a top knot and lower jaw mask. The bodies of the prison guards laid in the background, cut down by the Sith.

** _Her name was Shaa._ **

The scene shifted once again, likely to some manner of sanctum or temple. The date was unknowable. Momin held a pair of lightsabers in his hands, the blades shortened to act as knives as he cut as a hunk of metal. One that quickly revealed itself to be the mask he would wear for the rest of his days.

** _The Lady Shaa freed me and told me I was now her apprentice. I learned much from her, about the Force, and the dark side. So many things about myself became clear, things I had always known but never understood. If the work is to grow, we must never stop learning. Especially about ourselves._ **

Anakin watched as the boy Momin took one of the blades to his face, mutilating himself in order for the mask to ultimately fit. The scene quickly shifted forward several years. Momin was now a man, locked in pitched combat with his master. It wasn’t the somewhat reserved nature of a teaching spar, either. Both of them moved to kill.

** _From the beginning, Lady Shaa called herself my master and considered me her apprentice. I never understood this. I would never be so bold as to call myself a _ ** **master** ** _, but an _ ** **apprentice** ** _? I think not. Momin is second to none._ **

** ** Arrogance and narcissism. Likely his eventual downfall. Not this fight, however, as Momin ran the elder Sith through with his blades.

** _Lady Shaa disagreed, and I saw only one way to prove it to her. I never took an apprentice of my own. I had no time to teach. There was too much to learn. I studied the lore of the dark side, visited its many great sites. When I realized, eventually, was that I had been wasting my time creating my work for ordinary beings- foolish idiots would would never understand. The Force itself was the only true audience, the only one worth impressing, worth _ ** **sanctifying** ** _._ **

** ** ** _The power of the dark side makes many things possible, but its will is not always clear. When I began, I did not even know my medium, the raw stone from which I would sculpt a truth so profound it could not be ignored, or locked away. So, I asked the Force for guidance. It told me to choose a city._ **

The scene shifted onto the bridge of a ship. The readouts on the terminals showed a large settlement on a habitable moon. Population was high, and defenses were negligible. The ship was roughly the size of a dreadnought, and high in the sky.

** _With resources inherited from Lady Shaa and the help of acolytes desperate to aid me in my work, I designed a great _ ** **engine.** ** _ It was a weapon, of course, powerful enough to burn the city to ash. But anyone can make a weapon. To be worthy of the Force, my design had to be so much more...and it was._ **

Memories of the Death Star were brought to mind. The Emperor saw fit to send Anakin to it from time to time to ensure it was on schedule. Of course, after  _ someone _ had managed to advise the family of the pacifist head of weapon development of what he was actually working on, the main weapon’s research had slowed to a crawl. The technological monstrosity would be slow to come to fruition, hopefully never. What a shame.

** _It would _ ** **begin** ** _ to destroy the city, let the heat and the ash and the flames rise up. But at the very moment the people understood their imminent doom, I would pour the Force into my engine and use it to stop the flow of time._ **

_ Impossible, _ Anakin thought, but saw no deception within the memory. Stopping the flow of time meant that it was possible to change it. Perhaps even go  _ back… _

** _All those minds, reacting as one. Pain and fear, on a scale the galaxy had never known, frozen like insects in sap for anyone to see...forever. An eternal shrine to the dark side. My masterpiece. All was well, the engine was set in place. I stood at its controls, focused, and began to carve._ **

** ** ** _Truth. Art. Momin._ **

Power flooded from the Sith as he took the controls, tendrils of electricity and power flowing from him into the ship itself. Behind him, faceless subordinates tended to the ship’s systems. However, like many things done by the Sith, it wasn’t to be. The doors behind opened.

**_And then the Jedi came._** **_My acolytes fought bravely, but it was not enough. The presence of the light side of the Force interfered with my concentration. I lost control of the massive energies I was wielding. The crucial moment passed. The pain and horror I wanted existed only for a blink, evaporating as quickly as the city itself. Not every work goes as planned. Yes, I made a mark, of sorts. I killed many people...but the dark side asks for more than mere _****death****_ in tribute._**

** ** To make a point, Momin was disintegrated by the Force, his body turning to vapor, leaving only his clothing and helm behind. One of the Jedi used the mask, and began to study it. Perhaps too closely.

** _I did learn something important from the disaster, however. Failure is an excellent teacher. The dark side is sacred, but it is also _ ** **hungry** ** _. It burns like a flame. An inferno. It must be fed, always. It seeks fuel. If you do not feed it...then it will feed on you._ **

A blazing pain suddenly coursed through Anakin’s entire being. The vision faded, replaced with the familiar view of the inside of his mask- wait. No, this was not  _ his _ mask. There was no regulated breathing, no needles pressed into his face. Instead there was just cold, dead metal pressing against his head, and the feeling of his arms putting it on his head.

Something he  _ didn’t _ intend to do. He willed his limbs to obey him, his anger and rage spiking as he realized exactly what had happened. The damn spirit had tricked him, used the visions and memories forced upon him in order to distract him from its ultimate goal! To seize his body for its own, just like the officer. He grit his teeth, calling to bear his indomitable will in order to force the ghost out. A low growl formed in his throat, one that slowly grew as he felt the spirits hold on him slip.

With a shout, he finally tore the helm from his head and threw it against the wall. He sat there for a moment, blinking and recovering. The hated smell of the desert filled his healed nose, and he grimaced in disgust at the odor of finely ground sand. He would have rather spent more time with the mask off, but he unfortunately still needed it to live. He quickly replaced the life support and stood, calling the helm back to float near him. If it wanted a host, he would give it one. Perhaps a Jawa would be suitable?

Perhaps not. He had seen the memories,  _ felt _ them, even. This Momin was far more knowledgeable in the ways of the Sith and the finer aspects of the dark side than he. While Anakin was confident he could eventually figure out how to properly utilize the dark side nexus, it could take years of experimentation. The Emperor would not give him those years.

He needed the spirit’s help, and seeing as it appeared happy enough to simply create in the name of the dark side, he believed it would be willing. Still, a host was needed. He could call someone down here, but-

Wait. Someone was approaching. A small group. Excellent timing. He left the cave, lightsaber in hand, and quickly found the source. A small group of miscreants had parked a speeder outside his ship, and were busy already removing everything of value from its interior. Salvagers in the service of Jabba the Hutt, most likely. The satellites probably had recorded both their descent into the sandstorm, and the storm’s sudden lack of existence. A target of opportunity, it seemed. The Force eagerly wrapped around him, his anger at those filthy insects touching Padmé’s ship providing ample fuel. They would pay dearly for this. As he approached, one of the criminals noticed him, and pulled a blaster.

“Hands up, punk, or-” He said nothing more as Anakin simply throttled the man from a distance. Within seconds his companions ran down the ramp, presumably to aid their friend in the capture of the ship’s owner. As soon as they saw what was happening, however, they began to cry Jedi and began shooting wildly in a panic. Even at the short distance, they were poor shots. Anakin was actually having some trouble finding bolts that were close enough to reflect back to their owners. Once two of them fell, a third thought that retreat seemed like a much more likely way to live, and jumped into the speeder to flee.

Anakin allowed it. Hopefully he would spread word of what happened here and keep further distractions to a minimum. He drew the final criminal closer, and slipped the Sith helm onto his head. He cried out in pain as the spirit assumed control, but soon went limp before Anakin released him, and Momin stood up in his place. He looked around in apparent curiosity at his surroundings.

“ _ Ah _ , I am still on Tatooine.” He began walking back into the dark side cave, and Anakin followed. “I had not set foot on here before today. No reason to, actually. There is nothing here but sand and failed dreams. Hardly a location worthy of my talents. And yet…” He gestured to the obelisk. “Here we have something of the dark side. I have seen depictions of one of these before. It appears inoperable. Do you know what it once was?”

“I do not care what it was, Momin,” Anakin said. The past was the past. It didn’t matter. Or did it? His decisions of late had clashed grealy with his master’s teachings. “But…” he hesitated. Sidious taught him, both of them, very little. Any little scrap of knowledge he could get his hands on should be coveted. “Hm, very well. Tell me what it is.”

“A map,” Momin said with a tilt of his head. “Ancient Force wielders that conquered the galaxy long before the dawn of the Republic. They scattered these star maps across the galaxy, reasons unknown. All that have been discovered were inoperable or unusable, but they all shared something important. They were powered by the dark side. This one was left to fester, and its power collapsed into a singularity. Now it is something else. Something of much greater potential.”

“A door,” Anakin realized. The Jedi had spoken of such singularities before, where feats that were usually impossible became possible, if one had the skill to properly utilize it.

“Yes,” Momin said. “A Force locus. But it is locked. You can see only hints of where the path beyond might lead. You want to open it, pass through. If you want something from me,  _ ask _ .”

Anakin brought out a small holoprojector, and brought up the fortress design. “You created this design while possessing the officer. Tell me what it is.”

“The door to the dark side is locked. This is the key,” the spirit said, gesturing to the design.

“No,” Anakin said. “You are wrong.”

Slowly, Momin turned. “Indeed, Lord Vader? You saw into me. You tried to steal my secrets, and continue to do so by speaking with me now. But I saw into  _ you _ as well. Your master is stingy, having told you nothing about how to properly channel the power here.”

“You are correct,” Anakin said. “However, the Force here is alive. Damaged, infected by its festering wounds its masters inflicted upon it. It demanded rest and health in exchange for its secrets. It  _ spoke _ to me.”

Momin was silent for a moment. “How interesting. Perhaps...yes...perhaps this can be done. An engine of creation. We will give the dark side what it wishes, and in return it will grace you with its power. It will open the door  _ for _ you. It is there your beloved awaits you. Beyond the door. My fortress will tune the energies of the locus. It will be the first step towards invoking the power of the dark side to pierce the veil of time, between life and death.”

Anakin had heard enough.

“You will see her aga-” Momin was silenced as Anakin raised his hand, silencing the man.

“I have been lied to about the dark side’s ability to prevent death before. Do not offer me things you cannot provide.” If he did, he would pay for it, dearly. There would be no simple destruction of a host body. The mask would be thrown into a star and summarily vaporized.

“I..do not... _ lie _ ,” Momin said weakly. “I want only...another chance...to  _ create _ . This time...it could be... _ perfect _ .”

That was good enough. Anakin dropped him, and he immediately began coughing and wheezing on the floor. “Very well,” the cyborg said. “But if you betray me, you will suffer.”

A sad, almost manic laugh came from the spirit. “Suffer. How could I suffer more than I already do? What purer agony for the artist than to be forgotten?” He slowly began rising from the ground. “You have given me a wondrous opportunity, Lord Vader. I will not throw that away. This...will be my  _ masterpiece. _ ”

Anakin was silent for a moment, simply glaring at the possessed criminal. He sensed no deception in the Force. At least, nothing more than he would have sensed from his master, anyhow. A Sith that didn’t lie about his motivations was something to distrust even more. “Very well,” he finally said. “Return to the ship. Refine your design as you need, then bring me a report of what is needed.” He turned and left for the ship himself, his instructions given.

However, shortly after he stepped outside, he felt eyes upon him. Not Momin, the strange man simply walking past without a care. Anakin looked up and about, the twilight of the setting suns flooding into his mask. He slowly turned, zeroing in on the source.

There. Off in the distance, his optical sensors zoomed in to find a pair of beings taking cover next to a rock formation. His teeth clenched as hatred flowed through him, memories of one of the worst days of his life coming to bear. Tusken Raiders. Those despicable monsters that captured his dear mother and tortured her for no reason. Of course they would investigate as to why the endless sandstorm had ceased. He wanted very much to go and end their lives, but they were too far away. Even if he brought the Force to bear, they could easily outrun him. Regardless, he couldn’t be bothered to chase after them. If the construction site began to be besieged by the primitives, the stormtroopers that would eventually be guarding the place would be more than a match.

They were ignorable. If they became a problem, he would be glad to personally lead the attack against the offending camp. Instead he made his way back into the ship. He passed by Momin without comment, the spirit apparently already at work preparing a list of the materials required. He entered the ship’s throne room, and approached the seat itself.  _ Her _ seat. He gingerly ran his gloved prosthetic over the backrest, as if he were not worthy of even being in its presence.

Slowly, reverently, and perhaps reluctantly, he sat upon it. He felt like a squatter, a pretender, but still yet he needed this. He felt what remained of his Angel’s presence upon the seat. Her endless compassion, her steadfast resolve, her fiery will. It was a shadow, a ghost of what once was, much like a holo or recording. Unlike those mundane items however, he felt her through the Force, an intimate familiarity that brought on a mixture of grief and happiness and pain. He thought of her smile, her beautiful eyes, her fair skin, her absolute love for all life in the galaxy.

She would be disgusted in him. Even if his work is towards a better Empire, she would never accept that.  _ Didn’t _ accept that, in fact. In his power mad state, he already plotted to take the then-Chancellor’s position, and have her as his Empress. They would have ruled together and made the galaxy the way it should be.

He was such a fool. She would never have accepted that. Despite it all, despite how much she surely hated him, he had to try and bring her back. He needed her, desperately. He would do anything for her, just so she wouldn’t look upon him with disgust. Perhaps their unborn child would be there as well, and he could finally repay them for the lives he took. Such an innocent life, taken far, far too soon.

** _Know me, for I am afraid._ **

His eyes snapped open at the disturbance in the Force. Something faint, far away, but unmistakably bright and light and  _ terrified. _ Odd. Someone connected to him? Impossible. Ahsoka was Sith, and didn’t feel terror such as that. Mara? He suddenly felt tense. She was only two, and hardly bright in the Force, but she was still there. Had an Inquisitor been on Naboo? Possibly, though doubtful. He and Ahsoka knew all their missions, and none of them were to Naboo recently. The Emperor? Again, possible but unlikely. He never left Coruscant unless it was for an event, and the Empire always ensured he was well guarded and announced. His ascension to Emperor ensured that his location was always known. A rare boon of him being on the throne.

Anakin was on Tatooine. Perhaps...it was a long shot, but perhaps someone from his past? He had many friends among the slave children before he left. Left and promised to come back and free them all. A new wave of guilt came over him. Another promise broken, and while technically it was the fault of the Jedi for never allowing him to complete his dream, it was his own decision to listen to them.

To think that his own world, not even his homeworld, but the world that  _ he owned _ had legal slavery was something that could not be tolerated. The Empire might practice ‘servitude’ among the ‘semi sentient’ species such as the Wookiees, but it was still slavery with a bunch of legal loopholes surrounding it. Not here. There would be no fake smiles and pretending.

He found his hand grasping his lightsaber already in anticipation. He would need to prepare. Once Momin brought him the list of materials, he could send it to the  _ Exactor  _ for requisition. Upon arrival, a garrison would be stationed nearby, and then he could lead his troops upon Jabba’s palace and wipe that disgusting slug from existence. From there a systematic cleansing of the slavers would commence. It would have to be careful, meticulous, and simultaneous. Many of the masters would rather kill their property rather than see them set free.

“Hmm…” He clasped his hands together. What better a place for a plan to free a world of slavery than from his Angel’s starship? He closed his eyes, beginning to meditate and fabricate the plan. He would ask Ahsoka for assistance, she always enjoyed a good fight. Perhaps the Inquisitors as well- no. He couldn’t do that. They were too few and too weak. Even with trooper backup, they would likely perish when the Hutt’s forces fought back. The rank and file officers would have to do.

“Lord Vader.”

Anakin twitched, his eyes opening. Three hours had passed already, his heads up display showing the time.. Meditation was always tricky like that. Sometimes you might feel as if you were sitting there for hours, and yet only minutes had passed. Sometimes, the opposite occurred. Momin was standing before him, hands clasped behind his back, red eyes glowing from the visor slit of his helm.

“What is it, Momin?”

“I have completed what you have asked of me. Once you bring the materials and workforce, we can begin.” He held out a datapad, and Anakin took it, quickly glancing over. Durasteel, concrete, wiring, all normal enough. Obsidian, quadranium, electrum? Much more exotic. Still, the architect knew what he was doing, and the Empire’s coffers were deep. In all, Anakin estimated the construction to cost at least ten million credits. Probably more. A drop in the bucket. Palpatine wouldn’t notice. He already spent over a trillion on that monstrosity of a battle station each year.

“Very well,” Anakin said. “Leave me.” Momin, thankfully, complied. Anakin did not enjoy interacting with the man. He was too...full of himself. A narcissist. Much like Dooku. Unlike Dooku, he couldn’t just kill the man and be done with it. He  _ needed _ Momin.

He could only hope that he didn’t snap and kill the man prematurely.


	19. Grand Inquisitor

**Inquisitorius Headquarters**

“You know, I must give credit where it is due,” the Grand Inquisitor said, walking ever so casually into the command center. “I had thought you nothing more than a broken girl, Offee, clinging to the tattered remnants of a friendship you destroyed, and allowed yourself to be used by the woman you betrayed out of guilt. Imagine my surprise and actual pride when I found out it was all a ruse to get us to underestimate you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Barriss snapped.

First rolled his eyes before gesturing to Second. The silent woman produced a holoprojector, which promptly began playing a recording.

_ “Think about it, Barriss,” _ Ahsoka’s recording said.  _ “You as Grand Inquisitor at the start, but eventually we will do away with it. Soon there will be no more Jedi hunting. What then? You know the Emperor leaves no loose ends. He’ll order us to execute the lot of you.” _

_ “Would you?” _ Barriss asked.

_ “Not you,” _ the Togruta said.  _ “But we’re not going to worry about that. We’re going to worry about how we’re going to hide our secret order of Dark Jedi. What do you say, Grand Master Offee?” _

_ “I’ll do it!” _

_ “You will pay attention to any further developments for now, Third Sister,” _ a recording of Lord Vader said.  _ “But do not draw attention to yourself. You want no one to suspect of our plan.” _

Both Barriss and Masana were looking at the other two darksiders warily.

“Lord Vader had disabled the security cameras,” First said. “But there are other ways of finding out what is going on in  _ my _ facility.”

“If you’ve had that for years, why haven’t you betrayed him yet?” Barriss asked.

“And demonstrate a repeat performance of Eighth Brother’s mistake?” He let out a light, breathy laugh and a shake of his head. “I think not. Now then, I can be merciful, Third Sister. Tell me all you know, and I’ll be sure to tell our Emperor that you simply got caught up with...ghosts of the past.” He offered her an open hand, an invitation, a way out. She didn’t even consider it, the audacity of the man even thinking that she might betray her best friend filling her with absolute disgust and venom.

“You can take your offer…” Barriss said, her vision beginning to bleed red. “And choke on it!” She lifted a hand up in a claw, the raw power of her hatred allowing her to bash through her enemies’ defenses and hold them both in her grip. She watched for a moment as they struggled before throwing them both out of the room and into the corridor.

“Holy Sith,” Masana murmured as Barriss immediately ran out to finish the two off. The Dowutin followed, fully intending on giving what assistance she could. Both First and Second had jumped up from the spots they had slumped onto with haste, and were now busy defending a series of ferocious series of strikes from the Mirialan. She wasn’t even sure that Offee needed help, but she wasn’t about to just stand by and watch.

“On your left!” she bellowed, taking up the position next to the relatively small woman. With Masana’s size, she was always wary of people who were not used to her girth. Even during her Jedi days, she sometimes had to block the careless swings of her partners who were used to more average sized beings. She took on Second, while Offee dueled with First. Masana might not have been the best swordswoman, but she could at least hold her own against the constant push-pull of Force that Second was subjecting her to. Add on to the fact that she was easily three times the average weight of...whatever Second was, and she was hard to move.

The four combatants slowly made their way down the corridor. Barriss had always only had her Lords to practice her advanced techniques against, and only ever came close to victory against Ahsoka. Only ever knowing defeat, she had thought her skills to be perpetually inadequate. She was wrong. Now pitted against an opponent that wasn’t a Sith apprentice, she found her chances of success to be growing by the second. She had eschewed completely from the fear factor the rotation feature her weapon had in favor of raw skill. Ahsoka had taught her all the tricks she knew from wielding a single saber both fore and reverse grip, and combined with the dual bladed nature of her weapon, they both translated very well. Lord Vader had taught her the method of bashing down one’s opponent through raw power. A lesson that, while not the best for her size, still came into play from time to time.

First snarled as Barriss managed to graze his side with a quick stab, while Masana let out a deep groan as she got a glancing blow on her shoulder. The four of them had finally arrived in the main hall, where almost everyone else was waiting. Everyone else being Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh. They had their weapons out in anticipation, but the lot of them still didn’t know what was going on. As a show of power, First and Second threw their opponents back enough to disengage before addressing the remaining darksiders.

“I will be very clear,” First said. “Lord Vader and Lady Tano won’t be long for this world once I show the Emperor proof of their crimes. Aiding Jedi and even fermenting rebellion!” Barriss very carefully did not react to the second declaration, but she did wonder how exactly he came to that conclusion. “The lot of you can still prove yourselves loyal to the Empire.” He pointed his weapon at his enemies. “Help us destroy them, and I’ll ensure that the Emperor sees that you all were loyal to him.” The four looked amongst each other for a moment before shifting their attention to Barriss and her rebuttal. At first she stilled at suddenly being put on the spot, but soon enough the words came to her.

“Perhaps if you want to keep being his  _ dogs _ ,” Barriss spat. “Lord Vader has changed, and Lady Tano has never been unfair or overly brutal with us.” Her own treatment notwithstanding. It was personal and a one off, anyway. “Yes, we’re letting the Jedi regain their strength, in order to strike back at the man that  _ ruined all of our lives! _ Do you really think that he will let any of you live when your purpose is complete? We are nothing but  _ tools _ to him. And he-” She jabbed a finger at first, who simply scowled. “Is the one that wields us. Stay loyal to  _ us _ , and be a part of our new Dark Jedi Order.”

“What’s the difference, hmm?” Seventh Sister asked, her voice whiny from the synthetic voicebox in her throat. “We’re going to probably die either way. Either due to outliving our usefulness or when we fight the Emperor. Why not keep what perks we have instead of waiting for someone to stab us in the back?” The other inquisitors seemed to agree. Sidious had the Empire, Vader and Tano did not.

Barriss pursed her lips. If she didn’t do something drastic, she and Masana would be overwhelmed and killed. “Self determination,” she offered. “Vader said to me at the start of this that I would be free to choose how to live my life, set my own goals, as long as I didn’t impede their plans. That I would get all the resources of the inquisitorius to pursue my own growth. Just like the Jedi Order, but without all those inane restrictions.”

“And if we don’t want to fight?” Fourth Brother asked. “What if we just want to leave?” Sixth Sister looked at the Twi’lek in a moment of wistfulness. It was no secret that the two had feelings for each other.

“They told me my life was my own,” Barriss said confidently. “That means leaving if I want. Or if you want.” In truth, she didn’t know if that was that case. She was simply extrapolating. Ahsoka would back her up, though, she was sure of it. Losing two Dark Jedi in order to save their plans would be more than enough for Vader as well.

“How noble,” First said with derision. “However you left out the fact that none of them will be able to choose their lives once they are executed for treason. It’s simply a matter of logic. Who has more power? Two Sith Apprentices and their pets…” He opened one hand. “Or the Sith Master, Emperor of the galaxy and everything you see before you?” He opened the other, obviously favoring the second. “The Emperor is generous to his subjects if they prove useful. Can you say the same for the power hungry cyborg and his slowly degrading partner?”

“I can give them something they’ll never get under Palpatine!” Barriss snapped. “Their names.” She looked to the group. “He stole your names from you. Assigned you numbers. To him, you are no better than the clones he created to die in his war, and will treat you as such. Firith Dura, Pon Ergas, Alsiis Murath, Shadii Rellacase.” She pointed to the Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, Sixth Sister, and Seventh Sister as she said it. “Are your lives really better under that slave driver? You can bow and get exterminated in a few years, or you can  _ fight _ with us.” She gestured to them, strangely relaxed. “The choice is yours, after all.”

When the four of them didn’t immediately rebuff Bariss, the Grand Inquisitor frowned. The frown turned into a scowl as it became more and more obvious that his attempt to instill fear into his subordinates had failed. Beside him, Second tensed as Firith and Alsiss brought their weapons out, with Pon and Shadii following suit seconds later. First and Second brought their weapons out defensively, considering their options. Now outnumbered three to one, the odds of their success if they fought were not good. First looked to Second and nodded, the enigmatic woman understanding the unspoken command. She thrust out a hand, all of the newly minted Dark Jedi thrown back with a flash of light, save for their leader.

Barriss stood there, hands outstretched defensively as let down a resistant technique. It was entirely reflexive, a form of tutaminis taught to her by Vader, who had been rapidly progressing his own understanding of the power due to his vulnerability to electrical discharges. She had blocked the force of it, but her eyes still suffered, and she took a second to notice the two now-traitors running out. All around her, her new subordinates held their weapons out from expected attacks, only to notice the same thing. As they pulled themselves from the floor, Barriss turned to address them.

“Injuries?” she demanded. Everyone responded with symptoms similar to a concussive flashbang. Nothing serious, but they couldn’t fight in their current state. “Get yourselves pulled together, then get a shuttle ready. If I don’t call in half an hour, assume I’m dead, and that the Emperor is coming for you. Go underground and contact our masters, and tell them what happened here.”

“You got it, Boss,” Masana said as she helped her fellows up. The other Dark Jedi didn’t seem interested in commenting, and so Barriss ran off to pursue.

Lord Vader had, in his wisdom, expected that something like this might eventually happen. As a precaution he had given Barriss his personal authorization code, under the stipulation that it be used only in the event that their plan was immediately threatened, and neither he nor Ahsoka were available. This was one of those times. Calling up the Coruscant guard of the Stormtrooper Corps and advising them that they were to terminate the Grand Inquisitor and Second Sister on sight was quite satisfying. Hearing the stunned silence as she transmitted her credentials and then the unshaking obedience even more so. Vader was extremely unpopular with the Navy for his executions, but everyone knew that the Stormtroopers were gradually growing to worship the man more and more due to his front line leadership and merit based system.

As she drove a speeder through a traffic lane, using the Force to guide her, she briefly considered calling in for more backup. She decided against it, however. This needed to be kept quiet. If Sidious learned of this, he would surely countermand her orders, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. The thought of being painfully executed by the man flickered through her mind like an annoying insect, drawing her attention away from the present, the traffic, her surroundings.

The red glare of a glowing disc buzzing towards her.

The Force shouted in warning only a moment soon enough. She yanked the controls to the side, pulling her speeder out of a sudden bisection, and instead managed to get off with only severe engine damage. The vehicle lurched and rumbled as its left thruster sputtered and died, and she fought for control against the inevitable crash. So much for staying quiet. She quickly stood up and leapt from the doomed craft, landing in the passenger compartment of an unsuspecting driver. She had no time at all to consider commandeering it before another warning and another blade came twirling at her. With a slap of her own weapon she smacked it aside, and was able to watch as Second Sister called her weapon back to her waiting hand.

Both she and First were standing on their own speeder, glaring her down in challenge. As Barriss thought of a method of attack, she both felt and heard her previous craft crash into a nearby building and explode. The driver of her current ride, who until that point was completely oblivious, suddenly realized that they were in the middle of a fight. Their formerly perfect vector began to shake and swerve as they panicked, which would have been a boon if they hadn’t suddenly froze upon seeing the inquisitors’ blades coming at them for another strike. The two weapons cut cleanly through the vehicle, forcing Barriss to jump off the now exploding speeder and onto another. Then another. The two Inquisitors had no regard whatsoever for destruction of public property, leaving a trail of destroyed speeders and property damage as they did their best to ensure that their enemy had no chance to retaliate.

Finally in a moment of frustrated rage out of being forced to save herself ten times in the last minute, she swiped at her adversaries’ vehicle with the Force, sending it sliding into a nearby building. She watched with a smirk as Second toppled into the endless abyss that was Coruscant’s traffic lanes, while First managed to land on a nearby balcony. For a split second she was amazed at how easy it ultimately was to shift the fight in her favor with such and unskilled display of simple power.

_ “This isn’t fair.” _

_ Ahsoka scowled a bit at Barriss’ whining. The Mirialan had asked her friend for a full, unrestricted fight in order to test what she had learned. The Togruta had responded by promptly attacking her with the Force, defeating her within seconds over and over through faux neck snaps, crashes into the walls, and relatively gentle uses of lightning. _

_ “Fair doesn’t matter when your life is on the line, Barriss. You wanted to fight me as if I was actually trying to kill you. Sith don’t fight with lightsabers if they can help it. They use the greatest weapon in existence, the Force.” _

_ “Then why haven’t you been teaching me that? If I could just power through their defenses like that, I wouldn’t need my lightsaber.” _

_ “Because you’re not Sith. If all goes to plan you won’t be fighting Sidious directly, and you won’t need to try and match him. Plus, again, if I start teaching you how to be a Sith, he will order me to kill you.” _

_ Barriss glared. “So I’m just supposed to be fine with the scraps you’re giving me?” _

_ Ahsoka smirked. “No. Sith aren’t supposed to be content. They take every single experience and learn from it. They crave power, and damn what their masters say. Just as long as the master is unaware, they are safe.” With a wink from her friend, Barriss finally understood. _

She wasted no time in jumping down onto the balcony, saber blazing at her side. The soon-to-be-former Grand Inquisitor was already to his feet, his own weapon at the ready. His face was bruised from the landing onto the strone balcony, and it was fixed into a sneer.

He said, “You have some skill, Offee, but I-” He was cut off by Barriss who immediately set into a cadence of overpowering strikes. First was initially irritated, but soon it shifted to realization when he realized that his opponent was giving a decent emulation of Darth Vader’s fighting style. With only one enemy to focus on, she had little to worry about from her flanks, and could focus on channelling the Force into each and every swing.

_ “Get up.” _

_ Barriss pulled herself from the floor, Lord Vader’s commands ingrained into her such that anything he said was immediately done, no matter what. He raised his blade and immediately sent her back to the floor, her body drained of endurance. _

_ “Get up. Fight.” _

_ She willed her limbs to move, but they refused. With a defeated sigh, she looked up at her more stern master with a pleading gaze. “I can’t.” _

_ “Then perhaps you will now see the benefit of learning what I have to teach.” He jabbed his finger at her. “Your size means nothing, as Master Yoda so often enjoyed telling the initiates. Your strength isn’t in your height or musculature. It is in the Force. Through practice and experience, you may one day even hit has strong as I, or move as fast as Ahsoka. When that day comes, you may choose to lecture me on what you can and can not do. For now, that is not the case. Get up and fight.” _

_ She grit her teeth and sent commands to her limbs once again, and they again struggled to comply. _

_ “Call upon the Force. Offer your emotions as payment for its power. Your anger in exchange for its strength. Let it take residence within you. Let it empower you.” _

_ She scowled and did as she was told, or tried to, anyway. The way of using the Force that Vader and his partner were trailblazing was vastly different from the passive requests of the Jedi, the enslavement of the Sith, or even the volatile strangleholds that most darksiders executed. For two years she had been utilizing the third technique, and she was rougher with the Force than most Jedi for the three years prior. This... _ transaction... _ was unfamiliar to her. Still yet, she did as she was bid, albeit clumsily and uncoordinated. A she fed her anger into the Force, something so similar to Jedi release and yet so different, she felt a small trickle of power granted to her. _

_ It was a start. _

Success has a certain intoxicating effect on people, especially when they know little more than failure and inadequacy. As Barriss slammed the blade of her lightsaber against the Grand Inquisitor’s over and over, the frustrated scowl that had so plagued her gradually shifted into a confident and slowly growing smile. First was on the defensive, and based on the slight flashes of fear she saw his in his sulfurous yellow eyes, she knew he wasn’t faking any of it. Slowly she wore the man down, her power strikes, while not as bone shattering as Vader’s, were enough to gradually erode at his defense. She hadn’t been paying true attention to where they were, just that they had been fighting through some manner of office in the palace district. People fled from the two combatants as they entered each room, bringing out their communicators to call the authorities.

Screaming quickly filled the large lobby and rest area as she smashed First’s guard away, and sent him yelling down a full floor with a well placed kick. People scattered around the worn down Pau’an, and anyone that lingered fled when Barriss jumped down in an attempt to finish the man off. A sense of nostalgia filled her as the man managed to just barely block her strike and throw her off, a memory of a fight against a man furious at her betrayal of his student.

This time would be different.

First was on his last legs now, she could feel it. She could see a limp in his stance, his left arm was no longer in play, and his breaths had gotten shorter. Broken bones and strained muscles add up, even when one’s ally was the Force. Her face was a snarl, her strikes true and square, and with a murderous, loud growl she smashed the man’s guard away once again, brought her weapon up for a crashing strike, and swung. She met resistance, but only barely as First kept a weak and waving block up, only to be pushed down again and again as she slammed her weapon into his, pressing it further to his face each time.

In his desperation he leapt up for a all-or-nothing strike.

It was by complete reflex that she brought her hand up, freezing him in place with the Force. His scowl quickly turned to confusion, and then fear before melting to calm indifference.

“So you’ve won,” he said. “You’ve proven yourself. I only ask for my life.”

“Why should I even consider that?!” Barriss shouted.

“I can be a valuable ally, Offee. I know you don’t plan on being Vader’s pawn forever. Eventually you will want to surpass him and take his place as your...friend’s...partner. I can help you with that.”

The infectious thought crossed her mind. No Vader. No brutal enforcer. Just she and Ahsoka, taking on Palpatine together. There would be no one else needed. Just the two of them against the galaxy, side by side. She would be lying if she said it didn’t appeal to her, but-

She shook the fantasy away. “You’re in no position to bargain. Do you really think I’ll trust you after this?”

First simply shrugged. “No, but I suppose I don’t need you to,” he said, and smirked.

The Force screamed. Barriss twisted. Pain exploded into the side of her gut. Her vision went white, her head began ringing, and thankfully she wasn’t executed while she lied on the floor with a hole in her belly. As she fought off the urge to curl up into a ball and lie there, she managed to get her eyes to function once again. A pair of heeled boots stopped in front of her before the tip of a lightsaber blade sprang forth into existence less than a foot from her face. She looked up, and there was Second Sister, staring down at her, helmetless, quite roughed up from her fall, and with a manic grin on her face.

So she was an Echani. How about that.

“Thank you, Sister,” First said as he stood up from the floor. “I knew I could count on you.” He made a show of dusting himself off and shot a smug grin to Barriss. “Now then, why don’t you tell us all of Tano and Vader’s dirty little secrets, and I’ll only let Second have you for say...an hour?”

The Echani’s head snapped to the Pau’an, her giddy grin replaced in favor of a betrayed and shocked stare. “You said I could have her forever!” the woman said, her voice eerily melodic and perfect in pitch. “You know how I like to play with my toys!”

First simply rolled his eyes. “Well, I suppose I did. Later, though. Come on. We need to speak with the Emperor before we get into a firefight with the Guard. You can collect her later.”

Second frowned something twisted, but huffed and fell in line. “Can I at least get a taste first?”

First groaned before gently palming his face. Second always ultimately obeyed, but if she wasn’t allowed her... _ fun... _ she often became unstable. “Fine. Make it quick, though.”

The gleam in the Echani’s sulfurous eyes did not bode well for Barriss. The Inquisitor brought out a knife, one of her very large collection, and began sauntering back to the prone darksider. Barriss could barely breathe, let alone fight back with the burnt hole in her abdomen. When the knife plunged into her forearm, she couldn’t help but scream. She wanted to fight back somehow, but all the pain and exhaustion left her with only feeble starts at meek pushes with the Force. She wasn’t Sith, she wasn’t even a real warrior. At her heart, Barriss was ultimately a healer. She knew how bodies functioned, what drove them, what held them together. Give her the tools, and she could come up with all kinds of creative ways to keep it alive, or make it very dead.

As she felt her own blood pour from her arm, she reflexively began trying to draw upon the power to seal the wound. True healing was an act of the light, however, and dark side mending was a Sith magic that she knew nothing about. Still yet, in her clawing attempts to beg the Force for aid, to offer her emotions in return for its help, it answered. The pain radiating from her torso and arm suddenly ceased. It was jarring at first, but she didn’t complain. Her eyes settled into an eerie calm, and flicked over to a now very confused second sister, who tore the wound open even further in an attempt to cause pain to her toy.

There was no pain, just an icy rage as she glared, and the two Inquisitors stilled.

Barriss was a healer. She knew how to keep the most common species alive, and several that no one had even ever heard of. However, that meant she knew exactly how to kill them, as well. To heal, one pours the calm light of the Force into the wound, in order to encourage the body to regenerate. However, do it too forcefully or with an unstable demeanor, and it will easily fail. If an ignorant and aspiring healer tries too hard, and with anger or hatred, the bonds that hold life together could easily be torn to pieces with such carelessness.

Barriss’ hand shot to Second’s wrist, an iron grip seizing the woman’s forearm. Anger and hatred only harmed the patient, and she had so...so much hatred right now. Second looked confused for a moment before she froze, her breathing growing shallow as her eyes widened.

“What are you doing?” First demanded, but Second couldn’t answer. She jerked, then blinked before looking down at her hand, the appendage quickly going red with fresh blood. First couldn’t see due to their positions, and his demands went unanswered as Second’s breaths quickly became rasps, and then gurgles as her precious lifeblood started running out of her mouth. Finally Barriss released her, and with a dismissive gesture, she pushed the insane woman to the side to drown in her own blood.

Saying that First was surprised by this would be an understatement. He was speechless for a moment before bringing his weapon out, intent on ending the threat the green skinned woman posed. He only got one step before Barriss splayed her hand at her hated enemy, the dark side pouring out of it as a red glow emanated from her palm. First quickly gasped, and then howled as a quiet, organic tear sounded from beneath his armor. He fell to his knees as the Mirialan sent wave after wave of her hatred into the bonds that held the Pau’an’s life together, his howling growing ever more intense as his body felt the brust of every wrong committed, every cruelty, every ounce of mental anguish he inflicted upon the former Third Sister. Blood pooled beneath him at an ever fast pace as the tears in his skin grew and grew, finally showing themselves to the open air as they opened on his hands and face.

And then she stopped, content to let the man bleed out slowly instead of the relatively quick drowning of the Second Sister. Confident that her enemy lay defeated, his flesh torn to the point that he no longer posed a threat, she brought up her communicator. The Force, having rendered its service, retreated, and the pain arcing through her returned in full intensity.

“Masana,” she said weakly into the microphone. She was the first to pledge true loyalty to her and her masters. She could be trusted.

_ “Yeah, boss?” _ the Dowutin responded.

“They’re dead, but I’m injured. I need a pickup. Please come get me.” Her breaths were shallow and fast.

_ “You don’t sound good. Need a medivac?” _

“That would be...appreciated. Thank you.”

There was a moment of silence from the mic before an affirmatory grunt came through. Barriss relaxed completely, letting her body rest as she silently prepared her mind to channel a bit of the light. She could survive without it, but she would prefer to get her wounds fixed as quickly as possible.

“You’ll never win…” a rasped voice said. Barriss flicked her eyes down to see the Grand Inquisitor glaring at her from his own position on the floor. “He is too strong for them, even with the whole Inquisitorius.”

She sneered at the man. He meant nothing anymore. Just a black soul in a dying vessel. “Maybe, but I’d rather die trying to bring him down than live as his slave.” The Pau’an’s demeanor didn’t change, but only for a moment. Barriss felt the man’s life finally ending, the lifeblood running through him insufficient to maintain his body. His scowl melted, and for a moment she thought there might have been a hint of respect in his eyes before they stilled and glazed over, focusing on nothing but the void.

===

Barriss’ eyes shot open. Vague memories of being found by her new subordinates flashed through her mind for a moment, followed by being transported to the headquarters for treatment. Then nothing. The pain that was one crippling now rested at thankfully dull levels, but she still felt the hole in her gut, and the damage to her arm. Both would take some time to heal.

She looked around, finding Masana standing at the entrance to the medbay, arms crossed. Boredom and duty were easily read from her as she stood guard, presumably in case any of the other Dark Jedi got any ideas. Barriss stirred slightly, getting a look at her injuries and surroundings. Bandages were wrapped her arm and midsection, and she stunk of bacta baths. Within seconds the stomping footsteps of Masana approached.

“How you feeling, boss?” the massive woman asked, a frown on her face.

Barriss took a deep breath, finding the ability to have mostly returned. “I’ve been better,” she said. “Next time I see someone fall to death, I’ll check for a body so they can’t stab me in the back.”

Masana smirked for just a moment, but it faded quickly. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, and then visibly hesitated. “Hey uh, can I ask you something?”

Barriss quirked an eyebrow at the query. “Of course?” she said in slight bewilderment.

“What the hell did you do to First and Second?” There was a hint of wonder to her voice, and a lot of fear. Barriss blinked, her exhaustion affecting her more than she anticipated. Easily enough however, the memories came back.

“I...used the Force,” Barriss said matter-of-factly.

“Use the-” the other sputtered for a moment. “You cut them to ribbons with the  _ Force _ ? I want a piece. Where did you learn how to do  _ that _ ?” Before Barriss could respond, an arctic chill descended upon the room.

“I would like to know as well,” said a soft, gentle voice.

Masana immediately spun around with her weapon out, but faltered as soon as she saw who it was. Both she and Barriss stilled at the sight of their ultimate master, Darth Sidious.

“My lord,” Masana said, immediately dropping to a knee. “Please forgive me, I didn’t realize-”

“You believed that I was perhaps a vulture coming to peck at the Grand Inquisitor’s still beating heart.” He tutted. “If I was, you could have done better, Ninth Sister. Turning your back to the door like that is a good way to be ambushed. Still, you were simply displaying loyalty to your new master, and no damage is done. All is forgiven. You may rise.”

Masana slowly stood, replacing her weapon on her back as she stood aside. “Thank you, my lord.”

Sidious hummed gently before returning his attention to Barriss. “Now then,  _ Grand Inquisitor _ , you were about to explain to your subordinate a secret to your power?” The disapproving look on his face was evident. “You should be more careful. Power you give to others is power you no longer have.” He shook his head mildly in admonishment. Barriss, however, was simply inwardly frustrated. She  _ was _ going to say it, but now that the Emperor has practically made her a fool in front of her most trusted Lieutenant, even if that trust was still new, she suddenly didn’t want to. Now she had to, or risk damaging the respect Masana had for her.

“It’s not a secret, not really,” Barriss said with a hint of grit. “Technically it was failing at healing. Try to use the Jedi technique to heal someone, but use hate, and it just damages life. Skin falls apart, muscles tear, arteries spring leaks…it’s all elementary, really.” She couldn’t help but press into her mattress when the most sickeningly kind smile pulled at the Emperor’s lips.

“That is quite the ability you have learned to use, Grand Inquisitor. I have noticed that Lady Venatrix has been spending quite a lot of time with you these past months. Am I correct in assuming that she has been passing along her knowledge to you?”

She was backed in a corner with nowhere to run. Even if she wasn’t trapped, she was in no condition to flee. Sidious was a Sith Master, and also simply a man with an extreme amount of life experience. He didn’t need the Force to read people. She had to cooperate, which meant on some level, betrayal.

“Mostly lightsaber techniques,” she said truthfully. “A few tricks here and there.”

The elder man’s light smile continued, and he nodded. “I see. Anything special? I would expect her to pass on all her knowledge to someone so close to her. Unless...she hasn’t?” Barriss pressed her lips together. “Ah, I see. Such a shame that your relationship isn’t as...genuine...as I thought it would be. It is so common for those of us that practice the dark side to...keep secrets. I thought her to be one of the exceptions but...alas.”

It was a blatant attempt at probing her feelings for holes. “She has very explicitly told me I can not be Sith,” she explained.

“Do you want to be?” he offered, and she immediately stilled. The instant answer was  _ yes _ . She absolutely wanted the power to effect change on the galaxy, to make it better for the weak and downtrodden, to destroy the remainder of the Council that failed to find the man in front of her that set the galaxy ablaze, but she held her tongue. She had been told to appear meek and broken, someone who only followed Ahsoka due to her tattered friendship. She was told that it would keep her safe, away from the scrutinizing eyes of the late First Brother and the Emperor. While she had shown an amount of power in defeating her foes, she was still nothing to Sidious and Vader, and she could only barely hold a candle to Venatrix. She was an insect, ignorable, easily swatted away.

But the smallest of insects can carry the most deadly diseases.

“I do,” she said truthfully. “But I’m not sure I’m worthy.” Of course, she was scared. The leviathan standing less than a foot away could easily crush her with but a hint of his power. She was nothing to him, just a potential pawn. And a pawn she was, but a willing pawn. For now, and only for those she chose to serve. However, a pawn that reaches the other side of the board becomes a queen. They just have to be patient.

Sidious’ thin smile didn’t waver, but he appeared satisfied. “I suppose not. Becoming Sith is something only those with a certain  _ hunger _ about them can achieve. Someone like that wouldn’t let their  _ friends _ stop them. They would seek any avenue of advancement.” He tsked. “Yes, not you, Grand Inquisitor. You know your place. You are not capable of sustaining the inevitable punishments your failures would elicit.”

He closed his eyes and smiled, extending his hand to the door as if presenting something. Sure enough, seconds later, Ahsoka appeared, winded and visibly stressed. The Togruta’s eyes flicked between the three, and Barriss suddenly became aware of a sense of  _ concern-anger-protectiveness _ coming from a tiny corner of her mind.

“Master,” Ahsoka said with practiced indifference. “I didn’t expect you here.”

“Coruscant is  _ my _ world, Ventrix,” he said sternly. “I am aware of  _ every _ happening upon it. I was quite disturbed to hear that there was a betrayal within the Inquisitorius, and even more so when I heard that the Third Sister, now  _ Grand Inquisitor _ , led a chase that resulted in quite a lot of property damage. It’s such a shame that you have allowed the situation to deteriorate so. As the ultimate master of the Inquisitorius, it falls on  _ you _ to take the blame for this.”

Barriss watched as Ahsoka simply shifted to a resolved look. A second later, white hot lightning sprung forth from the Emperor’s hands, grounding themselves on the target of his ire. Ahsoka did not scream. She stopped screaming months ago. Instead there was just a loud grunting as she accepted her punishment. She stood for as long as possible, as was demanded of her, before she slowly fell to her knees, bent over, and finally after a minute of the tortuous power, was on all fours.

Barriss felt pain from that tiny corner of her mind, a distant, but intense, point of orange light. An odd sense of relief laced it, and underneath the agony, love. As the torment ended and Ahsoka lay prostrated on the ground, satisfaction and contentment became known, the pain having disappeared. It was then that Barriss realized she was feeling  _ Ahsoka _ in the back of her mind, her buried feelings leaking through a weak and thread thin bond that had formed between them. There was no anger, no disappointment in Barriss’ actions, just a cold fury that Sidious had decided to intrude upon  _ her family _ .

She locked down everything within her mind underneath a layer of durasteel one meter thick. No one could know of this. Not when they were so vulnerable. Ahsoka had just presented herself as a target to spare Barriss of the Emperor’s rage. An act of selflessness that was so out of character for a Sith Lady or even a common darksider. But not her. Not her friend. Not the person who she would, without a doubt, now do anything for.

The Emperor watched Ahsoka remain on the ground, smoke and steam rising from her charred clothes and the evaporated moisture from her skin. Her breathing was slightly labored, and her skin was spiderwebbed with angry welts from the punishment.

“Come, Apprentice. I would speak with you.” He did not wait for her to acknowledge before striding out the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barriss can be such a BA when she needs to.
> 
> Goodbye First and Second, you will not be missed.
> 
> Sheevery intensifies, naturally. He sees the potential for someone to fall under his sway, and thus tries to capitalize on it.
> 
> Also, the power of...loyalty? Or just respect, really. It doesn't make the most sense in Star Wars context, but I hope I had dropped enough hints early on that the Inquisitors don't exactly like Palpatine.
> 
> Anyway, we're approaching the end of this set. I'm giving you all a heads up that I'm pretty much burnt out on Star Wars, so after Chapter 20 this fic will be on indefinite hiatus. Apologies, but I can't force any more words from my brain.


	20. The Offer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for getting this out a day late.

**Inquisitorius Headquarters**

Palpatine led her away from Barriss- her friend, one of only _ two _ people she had any real love for. She was silent as he lead her through the home and workplace of now seven Dark Jedi. He was silent, and so was she, save for the slightly labored breathing. Everything hurt. Every limb, every inch of her skin, even her bones seemed sore from the electrical attack she endured. It was worth it, though. When the Forth Brother told her that Barriss was stabbed in the back, she immediately ran to the med center. She didn’t care about anything else, didn’t think about anything else, didn’t mind who she might run into.

Not that it would have changed anything, but she would have appreciated a heads up that Sidious was in there. It would have allowed her a precious minute to figure out what exactly she was going to do, aside from stand there like a nerf and just let him punish her without defending herself, even if it was ultimately futile.

She said nothing when they entered the shuttle he arrived on. She said nothing as they flew. She said nothing as they landed at the palace. There was nothing to say. He was the master, and she the apprentice. If he wanted her to speak, he would invite her to. To do otherwise was not recommended. There would only be punishment, and like the session she just endured, he would not need to explain why he was doing so.

He led her into one of his many private floors of the Imperial Palace, and based on prior knowledge, she knew exactly where they were. The Restricted Archive. Or what it had become, at least. Two years ago, when she had created her pair of bloodshine blades, he saw fit to reward her by giving her a tour of all his private rooms. A vast majority of it was the hoarded knowledge of the Sith- holocrons, texts, scrolls, even tablets carved thousands of years ago. Libraries and vaults and all manner of artifacts and trinkets. There were others, naturally. His own private training room, which he used, apparently. Even the old man needed to keep his skills with the blade sharp. It was obviously an attempt to simply entice her to try and steal it for herself, or encourage her murderous intent. It succeeded, though she had yet to actually try. Instead she passively studied whatever surveillance systems the rooms had while she waited for the Emperor to leave Coruscant. Which never happened.

He led her into one of the libraries, a chamber naturally filled with bookshelves, safes, and locked display cases. A corridor of sorts through all the shelving led them to a small reading locale. A cleared area with black leather seats, tables, and a modest amount of terminals. An attendant droid stood nearby, presumably should Sidious wish to eat or drink without leaving his studies. Latched onto the ceiling were a number of guard droids, ready to drop down the moment an intruder appeared. She assumed they were similar to the ones that once guarded the Jedi vaults, armored with cortosis and programmed to combat Force users, Jedi or Sith.

“Sit,” he commanded in the Sith language. She already dreaded the conversation. He had bid her to learn what was known to the Jedi as the Old Tongue shortly after he seized her from Anakin. She had done so, and could read, write, and understand the language fluently. _ Speaking _ it however...she struggled. The only other person she knew of that could do so was Sidious, and while she was teaching Anakin what she could, he shared the mistakes of his teacher. She learned early on that requests for instruction from Sidious were usually met with denial. He only taught her what he wanted her to know, and while he had been pushing her to hone what skills she had, most new information she learned was focused primarily on governing and politics.

She hated it. Learning how to properly juggle subordinates, how to spot disloyalty, how to lie convincingly, how to properly prioritize overall budgeting. It was so very very _ boring _. She was less than exceptional at these classes, mostly due to her disinterest. Still, when she was being tested, she passed well enough to satisfy his demands.

That wasn’t to say he was neglecting her instruction in the Force entirely. He had taught her many more modest things, like how to gleam the surface thoughts of an unshielded null, how to plant seeds of control in those she wishes, Force Lightning, and the Juyo lightsaber form, to name a few. Sith spells were right out, along with its sister study, alchemy. She wasn’t surprised. It was his job to string this out as long as possible, after all. Still, despite his restriction on what he allowed her to learn, she would have been a serious threat to all but the most seasoned Jedi Masters of the old order. It was pathetic that she, a 21 year old, not even the age of the average fresh Knight, could have beaten most of the Jedi Order one on one. It showed just how far it had fallen from its strength during the older Sith Wars, when millions of Jedi faced off against Millions of Sith. Common knights wielded powers of destruction and protection that were greater than Yoda had just four years prior.

She took little enjoyment at the soft leather, so very similar to that which cushioned the throne. It was vastly overshadowed by the throbbing pain she felt. Her golden eyes locked on to the black robed man as he slowly walked back and forth, seeming to consider courses of action. Finally he stopped, and looked upon her with...a smile?

“I am not angry with you,” he continued in Sith. “You became aware of a threat to your power base, and moved to defend it. I will not fault you for that.”

She raised an arm, red spiderwebs covering her skin. “You have a strange way of showing it, Master,” she said slowly.

He let out a short huff and waved dismissively. “A simple reminder that ignoring my directives will have consequences. It was nothing more than a slap on the wrist, and you know it.” And she did, very much so. What he inflicted upon her in the medbay was barely a punishment, compared to what he _ could _ do. Earlier on, when her mouth was looser, she crossed the line from time to time. She thought that perhaps she could be secretly disobedient if he demanded something of her that she didn’t like. She was wrong.

She grumbled noncommittally.

“No, Venatrix. I am not angry with you. In fact, I am quite pleased.” She looked up at him with a quirked brow. “Why, you have made a move against me.” She very carefully did not react. She supposed that he was to thank for that, with his lessons on performance and keeping her thoughts hidden. “Not directly, of course. You have simply been disposing of my pawns.” He smiled. “The Grand Inquisitor, the Second Sister. The spies I send aboard Lord Vader’s ship.” He sighed, shaking his head gently. “Captain Mullinore. What did he do to deserve such a painful death?”

She didn’t hesitate nor care that he knew already, a dark look overcoming her. “He got in my way,” she growled in Basic.

“And you executed him with barely a second thought, despite that he was ultimately trying to help you avoid my ire,” Sidious said, allowing the conversation to continue in the common language. “How do you feel about this?”

She shifted on the sofa, the discomfort in her actions distant and negligible, and shrugged. “Eh. I gave him a chance.”

“_ Very good _ .” He slinked behind her, stopping outside her vision. “You have allowed your anger and passions drive you. This is our way, Venatrix. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your eyes as well. It has been much slower than I expected, but I can feel that the dark side has finally taken root within you. While you could have expressed more... _ tact _…in ignoring my commands, I am most pleased by your progress.” His hand landed on her head, and with such gentle stroking, the raw pleasure she refused to admit she craved ran through her. She couldn’t help herself, melting into the cushions as the pain was swept away, replaced with the enjoyment of a drug that had no side effects, yet only one dealer.

She didn’t know how long he had her there, helplessly mewling in enjoyment, but it was much longer than usual. His usual rewards always left her wanting, encouraging her to please him just a bit more, always suggesting that _ next time _, she might attain satisfaction.

This was the first time she got what she desired. She felt like a puddle, slumped into the chair in complete relaxation. Even after her reward was over, the pain thankfully did not return. She glanced down at her arms, finding all traces of her earlier torture having vanished. Even the constant and dull plague of her training aches had vanished, much to her relief. She was so engrossed in it that she didn’t even notice him sitting next to her.

“Still, despite your successes, there are your failures to attend to. Two, to be precise. Can you tell me what they were?”

“I ignored my mission to Mel-Koria,” she said immediately. It was the most obvious, after all. The other was...less easy.

“You are correct, and I know you already are aware of how to rectify that mistake, and the consequences of allowing your emotions to get the better of you in the future. The other?” She was silent. A possibility rose in her mind, but she quashed it down, giving him only silence. “A bit of help, then. You have willingly given yourself _ weaknesses _, apprentice. Two of them.”

She sighed. “Barriss and An- Vader.”

He tutted. “Indeed. I tolerate your heresies because I am curious, Venatrix, but I will be frank. Keeping people close to you will only harm you in the future. It is one of the few topics I will agree with the Jedi on. They could get into trouble, and distract you as just happened. They are targets that others can threaten to ensure your compliance. I am aware that Lord Vader can handle himself, but in the off chance he was captured, or Miss Offee was overwhelmed, would you betray the Empire in order to ensure their safety?

She didn’t respond initially, because she already knew that the answer was yes, and she didn’t want to deal with the fallout of that admittance. She had hoped he would simply assume it, but he remained utterly silent, wordlessly pushing her to admit to what he likely considered a failing.

“I would,” she finally said. There was no hiss of displeasure, no angry snarl, just quiet interest in her master’s gaze.

“And what if they were enemies to each other? Who would you side with?”

“They wouldn’t be,” she said immediately. They couldn’t- _ she _ couldn’t make that choice.

“Oh? And why is that?” Sidious asked. “Did you know that, for weeks after you left the Jedi, he would confide in me just how much he wished he could end her life? For ruining your life and tearing the two of your apart?”

She opened her mouth to refute that statement, but nothing came out. Instead she thought of how angry her master was when Obi-Wan faked his death, at how close he had come to killing the Jedi that was disguised as his own supposed murderer. She was appalled after the fact, but in the heat of the moment she had so much anger towards “Rako Hardeen” that she would have turned a blind eye. More scenes flashed from her memory, his attitude, his objections with the Council, his aggressive fighting style. He told her straight as she left the Jedi that he knew what it was like to want to walk away, and all the implications underneath that statement.

She wasn’t sure what she would have wanted to happen, despite the hindsight. Would he have never fallen, had she stayed? Should she have asked him to come with her? Would it have even mattered? As powerful as Anakin was, even he couldn’t fight off the entire army. She glanced back at Sidious, who was generously allowing her time to think. She didn’t know why he was being so magnanimous, but she didn’t care. She just took advantage of it.

“I’m not surprised,” she settled on, and that seemed to satisfy her master. “I spoke to some of the Jedi that saw the duel between them. He almost killed her.”

“Alas, we shouldn’t worry about what once _ was _ . Instead we should focus on what _ is _ , and what _ could be. _ So I say again, Venatrix. Pick one.”

“I…” She hesitated for a moment. “Why can’t I have them both?”

The man’s grin widened into a rotten smile, and he chuckled quietly, taking her hand and patting it. She resisted the urge to pull her hand away, despite his loose and thin skin grating on her nerves. “I don’t know, why can’t you?”

She looked at him questioningly. She hated these kinds of questions, the kind that forced her to search for the answer within. She would much rather just learn the correct answer, but _ no _, she had to, like most worthy knowledge, work for it. So she took a moment and imagined the situation, Anakin bearing down on Barriss, red on red, dark against dark, with her at the side demanding they stop. She imagined Anakin too enraged to listen to her, and too powerful for Barriss to hold off indefinitely. The only way to do that would be to stop the fight, and that meant overpowering Anakin. She couldn’t, not as she was, which meant…

“I need to get stronger. To…”

“To get what you desire,” Sidious finished for her, and she nodded. “It’s only natural, Venatrix. Lord Vader has never been the most patient of men. It’s only a matter of time before Offee treads too far on his toes, and there will be nothing stopping him from killing her. Not even your interference. Unless you are strong enough, she will eventually die.”

Ahsoka tried to bring the defiance to glare at him, to say that it wasn’t true, but she couldn’t. She knew full well that Anakin merely tolerated Barriss’ presence. To him, she was an ally of convenience, and nothing more. Yes, his absolute hatred of her had dulled due to her healing of his injuries, but he had still not forgiven her. He never would forgive her, either. He already held grudges as a Jedi. As a Sith, he acted on those grudges regularly. Sure, the random executions for incompetence had stopped, but whenever someone wronged him, he found a way to make them pay, one way or another.

She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes. He was right. On top of that, she was going to have to keep one of the biggest secrets of Anakin’s life from him. That his daughter had not only survived, but was the adopted daughter of one of their pawns. If she told him of this, he would kill Bail Organa, fullstop. There would be no way she could talk him out of it. From there, their plans would fall out due to his short sightedness..._ again _ . On top of that, she had been considering letting the Jedi rebuild after they, or perhaps she, seized the Empire. They didn’t deserve their extermination. Not for crimes committed thousands of years ago. They may have stood in the way of Sidious’ revenge for the Sith, but that wasn’t _ her _ goal.

Anakin...she wasn’t sure how he would react to that. He always felt that the Jedi held him back out of fear, and they did, perhaps rightfully so considering the consequences that had already transpired. She knew that she had made an impact on him with her questions of if it were the Jedi as a whole, or the _ Council _ that betrayed the Republic. So many secrets, so many plans that didn’t involve him. The training of his daughter, for one, which _ would _ happen. He would want her for himself, she knew he did. But no, Ahsoka had already laid claim to Leia. She would be...something. She didn’t know yet. The dark side takes people and twists them into monsters, somehow with the exception of Ahsoka herself. She didn’t know if she could pass on the knowledge to produce the same result. She didn’t even know exactly what she was doing to keep her darkest impulses from lashing out.

Mullinore didn’t...didn’t count. He was asking for it. Luminara had pissed her off. Barriss’ beating was a punishment, and was already over. All of them had wronged her. They _ deserved _ it. She was in complete control of herself.

“Apprentice?”

Sidious’ voice drew her from her musings. “Sorry,” she said. “I was just thinking. About the future.”

“I see,” he said neutrally. She didn’t buy it for a second, he was always plotting, always scheming. “And what conclusion have you come up with?”

“I need to get stronger.” It was necessary. She needed to be able to defuse Anakin, should his trademark anger and impatience get the better of him. She needed to be able to stop him should he go on a warpath. Disable him enough in order to speak to him, calm him down.

“Stronger than Vader?” he asked softly.

“It’s necessary,” she said. “He’s too...himself.”

“Oh?” the amusement in his voice was obvious, but she didn’t care.

“He’s impulsive, aggressive, reckless, and he’s always been too quick to anger. It makes him…” She hesitated, not wanting to straight up insult her friend, but there was no way to spin it the way she wanted.

“You can’t trust him to act rationally,” Sidious suggested. Instantly her eyes were upon him as she bristled to defend her friend, but ultimately, she found that she couldn’t. He was right.

“Yeah,” she quietly muttered. It sickened her that she admitted to it, but it was the truth that she couldn’t hide from. From day one, she saw that he always favored his heart over logic. Over rational decisions. She fell from the same tree, but there was a bit of distance. She learned instinct and compassion from Anakin, and tempered it with Obi-Wan’s restraint. There were times for both, but relying on only one was foolish. With a mumbling growl she stood up and walked to the other side of the small sitting area, and began pacing back and forth, hands reaching for the furniture, her lightsabers, her lekku, anything to distract her from the disloyalty she felt.

Perhaps she was too distracted, or perhaps her master was simply that fast, but eventually when she turned around, he was standing there. She stilled under his ever observant gaze, and forced her emotions away out of reflex.

“Walk with me, Apprentice,” he gently commanded. He walked into the endless shelves, and she followed. “Next to me and Obi-Wan Kenobi, you know the most about who Vader is. I groomed him from an early age to be my true apprentice. My successor.” He gestured to the vast collection of Sith and Jedi knowledge. “All of this would have eventually been his. As I told Master Yoda shortly before our confrontation, Darth Vader was destined to become more powerful than him or myself. It wasn’t a lie. Before his accident, he had more raw power than even me. He would have led the galaxy to greatness.”

He stopped, ran a gnarled hand over one of the many tomes, and he pulled one from the shelf. While the air filters and conditioners kept the environment perfect for the preservation of even paper, he still brushed a layer of the nonexistent dust from the cover. The book itself read _ On Poisons and Concoctions, by Darth Charon. _

He sighed. “And then there was the disaster at Mustafar. I am not omniscient, Apprentice, despite what those sycophants in the court think of me. We both know that the future is never set in stone. While what I scryed suggested that he would succeed in most instances, there was always the chance of _ failure _. It seemed that he decided to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The reason wasn’t as surprising as I had hoped it to be. Impulsive recklessness. Overconfidence.” He growled quietly, but venomously as he opened the book.

“Vader destroyed himself, body, and then spirit. When I found him, he was a burnt quadripalegic husk. I saved his life, naturally. He did help facilitate the destruction of the Jedi, and had further use. Despite what he _ thinks _ , he did not _ lead _ it. _ I _did. I did not tie my entire plan to his turn. The clones were enough. He was simply the...icing on the cake, as it were.” As he flipped through the pages, he finally found the one he was searching for. With a curl of his finger, he drew his student's attention. The entry detailed a substance that was an effective painkiller, but had horrendous side effects. Namely that withdrawal effects were permanent. Before she could read more, however, the book was snapped shut, and was replaced on the shelf.

“His reconstruction had a price, naturally. He ruined himself, _ my _ perfect apprentice. All of _ my _ years of work undone with the single stroke of a lightsaber. I decided then and there that he had already outlived his usefulness. Where before he could have easily had triple my power, he suddenly had a fraction. He became dead weight within seconds. The Sith way is to grow stronger than the master, kill them, and then repeat the cycle. You know this. So tell me, Apprentice, how a charred piece of meat kept alive by machinery is supposed to defeat me.”

She pressed her lips into a line before smirking. “He suggested dropping a ship on the palace.”

The elder snorted before waving her to follow once again. “Leave it to Skywalker to choose the most destructive option possible, and yet he complains about Stardust.”

“Stardust?” she asked. The word didn’t sound familiar. A ship, perhaps? Some kind of dreadnought?

“He hasn’t told you? How interesting. It’s no concern of yours...yet. Now, why haven’t you carried out that plan?”

She narrowed her eyes at the back of his robed head for a moment. She would ask Anakin about this _ Stardust _ later. “Because it’s a bad plan. Even if we killed you, the planet is ruined, and with that, the center of galactic government and trade. We _ might _ control what remained of the Empire, but we would have to recreate it basically from scratch.”

“And that is one of the reasons I like you, Venatrix. You were already uncharacteristically aggressive for a Jedi, but not to the reckless abandon as your former master. You consider the violent options, but think things through. You see, when Lord Vader rose from the table he was rebuilt upon, his first thought was for his dear wife. Understandable, considering that his turn was entirely for _ her _. When I revealed it to him that he unfortunately killed her in his anger, it broke him. He realized that all his struggles were for nothing. He practically lost the will to live. I almost lost him, that fateful day. He could have done anything: attacked me, went on a murdering spree, ended his own life. Instead he gave in to despair, and for shortly a year thereafter, he was an obedient servant.”

He stopped at another book, and much like the last one, gestured for her to read a short amount of text. She wasn’t able to see the title of this one, but the excerpt was a short missive on using people as tools. Leading them on with scraps of knowledge and promises that would ultimately be fulfilled as slowly as possible. When the tool’s use has been exhausted, they are to be disposed of. The book was quickly returned to the shelf, and Ahsoka was beginning to understand exactly what he was trying to tell her, and what the two apprentices had suspected for some time. That Vader was just a tool. Sidious began walking again, this time towards a set of stairs.

“Choose someone as a successor and you will inevitably be succeeded. Choose someone hungrier and you will be devoured. Choose someone quicker and you won’t dodge the blade at your back. Choose someone with more patience and you won’t block the blade at your throat. Choose someone more devious and you’ll hold the blade that kills you. Choose someone more clever and you’ll never know your end. Despite these cautions, an apprentice is essential. A Master without an apprentice is a master of nothing. Now tell me, Venatrix, is Vader an apprentice?” He continued onward, leading her out of the bookshelves and up a set of stairs, towards a small balcony.

She was silent for a moment, thinking it over, but it quickly became obvious. Anakin was powerful, yes, and a threat, but only to those with less power than him. Which meant all but the most dangerous Jedi and Sith. Not Sidious. He was not faster, nor more patient. Subtlety was not his style. While he was getting better, very slowly, he always seemed to have a certain lethargy about him. She offered to teach him what Sidious was teaching her, and he would sometimes take what seemed necessary, but nothing more. She would have said it was guilt but...he was much harder to read than he used to be. She couldn’t deny it, however. He was fundamentally broken, and she wasn’t sure he was capable of being fixed.

His birth daughter might be enough but...she couldn’t.

“No,” she said. “He isn’t. He’s just your tool.”

“Correct,” he said. “He does my bidding until his usefulness has run out. I engineered his suit to keep him weak. He was a placeholder until someone more…” He turned, smiling. “..._ suitable _ appeared.”

She couldn’t help but express surprise at this, her eyes widening and lips parting ever so slightly.

“Do not be modest, my dear. I will admit when he presented you to me, I was quite enraged that he was arrogant enough to take an apprentice only a _ year _ into his own. However, as we spoke after that fateful day, I had the time to understand you. You weren’t broken, and thus not tortured into it, nor were you unstable enough to have suffered an emotional breakdown. You had all your faculties and possessed your spirit. While I’m certain you were distressed at learning of your Jedi Master’s fate, you were not in that black pit that Vader threw himself into.

“You didn’t _ fall _ , Venatrix. You _ turned. _ You willingly chose the dark side, chose to become Sith. I read the report on the uprising at Raada. You lead the defense of the evacuation until Vader arrived. You allowed yourself to be captured, and less than a day later, you turned. No fuss, and _ quietly. _”

He grinned as, once again, her surprise showed. She had never discussed this with him at any point. What happened on the _ Exactor _’s observation deck was between her and Anakin.

“Do not be surprised. I am the master of the dark side. I had sensed _ something _ that day, but I knew not what. You were so quiet I assumed that perhaps you were some Padawan that gave in to their anger. Hardly a threat, barely worth notice. Had Vader not made me aware of your existence, I would have never suspected. Imagine my delight when I realized that you had the power to control yourself, to keep yourself hidden. From there, it was obvious.”

He brought a hand up and gently put it on her shoulder. Her eyes flicked to the gesture, but what she was most interested in was how _ genuine _ all of it felt in the Force. He didn’t love her, not by a long shot, but she felt a sense of respect and a desire for pride.

“You are like me, Venatrix. You will ultimately walk the shadows, manipulating events from the side. You stalk your prey outside their vision before executing it with ruthless efficiency. You had the courage and vision to choose the dark side, you have too much will to cow down to my every demand, and the Force is growing strong with you to the point I am certain you are becoming a vergence.”

His hand squeezed her shoulder gently, such a gentle thing of affection that, again, had a strange amount of truth about it.

“I am getting old, Venatrix. Pushing seventy. The Force is generous, and can extend life if one knows the secrets.” He let go, and turned back to the gathered knowledge. “I once told you that attempting to mix the light with the dark would result only in insanity. Hundreds of years ago, Darth Gravid made this very mistake. He went mad, believing that the Sith way needed to be purged and begun anew. It was only through the efforts of his apprentice that anything managed to be saved at all. The knowledge you see before you was once twenty times this size. So much lost in but a few hours of madness and fire.” He tutted. “Including the keys to eternal life. I am doomed to eventually succumb to age, like all of us.”

He slowly turned. “Except you.”

She blinked. “Me?”

He clasped his hands together, the seemingly bottomless fabric of his sleeves covering them. “You killed Captain Mullinore. Why?”

She tilted her head slightly at what seemed to be an irrelevant and repetitious question. “He wouldn’t do what I said.”

“A valid reason,” Sidious said. “How did you execute him?”

“I…” She blinked, at a loss for words. She remembered the event clearly, her demands, his foolish disobedience. She remembered reaching, touching his skin, and _ somehow _, he died. “I’m not sure. I was thinking of how I would do it, but saber, strangling, or lightning, none of them seemed right. Eventually I just reached over and touched him, and he started dying.”

Sidious nodded. “It is as I expected. You have a talent for consuming life, my dear. It is a technique as old as the Sith themselves- not us, mind you. Not what the Jedi of the Second Great Schism eventually became, but of the Sith of Korriban. The red skinned rulers of the old homeworld.”

“I don’t understand,” she said. “I didn’t learn this from anyone, it just happened.”

The man let out a short chuckle. “Where do you think abilities come from, Apprentice? That they just appeared in the teachings of the ancient religions of the Force? Experimentation and happenstance are how any field of study begins.” She frowned slightly at how obvious it was. “Everyone is predisposed to certain talents. I took to Force lightning even faster than you did. I hardly had to try. You can easily feast upon life, and if my suspicions are correct, it will be to the point that you will be able to sustain yourself indefinitely upon it. You will never age past your prime, and it can be used to heal wounds and restore vitality.”

She wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that. Aside from being immortal, that was- well, actually an extremely useful thing to have, but it didn’t fill her with hunger or hope or _ anything _. It was just there, something she could do. Strangely unmoving, and she acted as such.

“You are exactly what the Empire needs, Venatrix,” he said. “An immortal ruler, wise in all ways possible. You could, if you so desired, become the next Darth Vitiate.”

She stilled completely. In her history books, out of all the mentionable Sith, none was as successful as Vitiate. Born into the Old Sith Wars, he eventually grew to prominence through several rituals, secretly consuming the lives of his followers in a quest to become an immortal god with the power to match. He ruled the Sith for 1500 years, either directly or in secret. He came the closest to conquering the galaxy and realizing his goal, but as it came to fruition, events and people conspired in just the right way to see to his downfall. Some scholars called it luck, but she knew better. The Force set things in motion for his downfall.

She would not lie. The hunger for power that had awakened within her jumped at the prospect. Empress Ahsoka Tano, Lord of the Sith, Master of the galaxy and all within her sight. She imagined a galaxy that loved her, and she loved in turn. Her subjects would be taken care of, and would live in endless prosperity as she bestowed to them the wisdom granted to her by the Force. There would be those that would fight against it, naturally. Those that would try to take advantage of it for themselves, but she would crush them through her armies, insight, or her own personal power.

“I want you to succeed, apprentice,” he continued. “I want to see the next master of the Sith to absolutely annihilate me, to show strength beyond measure, but the question is: are you willing to take up the mantle?”

She glanced at him for a moment before walking up to the railing, leaning over and gazing out upon the vast store of knowledge, and the power it contained. Powers to destroy, create, know, and dispel. Powers that she wasn’t even able to consider with her limited Jedi upbringing. The man standing behind her seemed to be short sighted on the surface, with his oppressive tactics and brutal stratagems. It couldn’t possibly be true, however. The man who orchestrated a galactic war in order to seize power could not possibly be such an idiot, so why did he commit the atrocities? What did he see that she didn’t? He had already started opening the door for her with her lessons about worldly topics, but despite that, she still did not understand his more questionable decisions.

She had to know. Not only did she need enlightenment on his tactics, but on the endless lore and abilities that filled the halls. The burning curiosity that drove her as a Padawan flared greatly as the rules and restrictions imposed upon her were burned to ash when she turned. It couldn’t have been as easy as simply deciding it, of course. With Sidious, nothing was ever free.

“What is it you want in return?” she asked, slowly turning to look him in the eye. There was a hunger in her gaze, but it wasn’t absolute. She was cautious, and wanted to remain in control. She reminded herself that the man before her did not have her best interests at heart, but if he was offering her power, she would listen at the very least.

“I have taken the Republic, broken it, and am in the process of rebuilding it into the institution necessary to bring order to the chaos of the galaxy. My soldiers are endless, my fleets are unstoppable. Even if someone were to bring enough resistance to challenge them, their time is limited.”

“Stardust?” she asked after a moment.

The old man’s smile split just enough to show his teeth. “Very good. The Empire is poised to reshape the galaxy even more than it already has. It will assume whatever form that I choose. That _ we _ choose. In order to challenge me, you and Vader will have to spark a war, civil or otherwise. I ask you, why risk destroying what you seek at all? Swear your loyalty to _ me _, and me alone.”

He extended an offering hand, slow and empty, but representing far more. “Kneel before me, swear unto the Force that your true loyalty is mine, and I will share the Empire with you. You will be my equal, my successor. You won’t simply be the knowing tool you are now, but instead will be trained as a true Sith, one worthy of assuming the eventual role as Dark Lord.”

Her gaze flicked from his eyes to his hand, uncertainty washing over her. He was offering her the _ galaxy _ , in return for betrayal. She looked down, and then away, the possibilities running through her mind. It would mean the destruction of everything they had already worked for. Technically he already _ knew _ about the betrayals, but not the details. He would demand the details. She flicked her gaze to the opposite side. Would he demand that Anakin be killed? He might as a test of loyalty. What else would he demand of her? The uncertainty was infuriating. Out of desperation, she sent the question into the Force.

** _You are my wrath, little cub. Alone or with your pack, as long as you oppose the master, I will help you._ **

She took a deep breath, and let out a slow exhale. No direction, then. Just unending support. Sidious stood patiently in front of her, allowing her the time to consider betraying her allies. Such a patient man.

_ “I worry sometimes, that you do not understand our ways, Venatrix.” _

_ She winced slightly at the comment, and she bowed her head in deference. “How so, Master?” _

_ “You worry about vanity. About how people perceive you. This is not our way. We do what is necessary to ensure the survival of the greater good. We kill a billion to save a trillion, gladly, and we do not care about our public image. That is what it truly means to be Sith, to be willing to be vilified and hated in order for our subjects to live and our empire to function properly.” _

_ “We’ll just have to disagree on that, Master.” _

_ He let out a quiet growl. “You’ll understand with time, Venatrix. Just be observant, be patient, and you will learn the truth.” _

She could be patient. She could be observant. She remembered her instruction on lightning, and how easily Sidious destroyed a solid stone wall. She remembered her lessons on lightsaber combat, and how he easily bested her in almost every instance. She remembered his demonstration in overpowering one’s defense with the Force, and how he shattered hers with casual ease.

She remembered what he said, that he was pushing seventy years. Perhaps sixty or fifty-five of those were spent on dark side and Sith training. He was the _ master _. His strength lied in the Force, not in his skill with a blade as almost every Jedi. While she had no doubt that she and Anakin could eventually overpower him, it was more likely they would achieve victory by simply waiting for him to die of old age. That was not their way, though. He would have them killed before he allowed them to simply let age take him.

Doing this was a risk and a boon. She would answer to him and do _ everything _ he said, which likely meant exposing their plans. Perhaps not. Perhaps there was a way to weasel out of it, or simply obey him to the letter, but not the spirit. In return she would get all the power she would ever need. She weighed both options again and again, and gradually grew more confident. He had been teaching her how to lie for several months now. Time to put those lessons to the test. A little insurance couldn’t hurt, though.

“I get to keep Anakin and Barriss,” she said, looking him straight in the eye. The old man visibly tensed for a moment at her demand, but it soon turned into idle interest.

“As long as they do not cause trouble, you may have as many pets as you like. However, you _ will _ keep them under control. The moment you can’t, you _ will _ kill them.” That was much less demanding than she expected. Barriss she could handle easily. Anakin would be a bit of a pain, but he would understand eventually. She was, after all, not exactly able to table the offer and speak to her allies about it.

She looked out at the collected knowledge, took a breath, silently asked for Anakin’s forgiveness, and nodded before kneeling.

“I am yours, my Master. I swear unto the Force that until I am ready to end you, my loyalty is yours, completely and utterly.”

There was a pregnant pause, and the Force tremored quietly, like so many of her actions. She didn’t lie. She would do anything he said to the letter. Anything he asked of her, she would be truthful of, but she would not volunteer any valuable information. Above all, she would show her loyalty by keeping to the Sith way, by planning to inevitably take his place. Perfect loyalty to the Sith imperative, what more could he want?

“It is done then,” he said, audibly pleased. “Rise.” She did, slowly, once again meeting his gaze. “Your plan to overthrow me, explain it.”

Right to the point, then. She steeled herself and forced her voice to remain cold and detached. “We were going to slowly gain the loyalty of the military while enabling a civil war against you. Once the fighting would break out, we would declare our faction and temporarily ally with the rebels to overwhelm your loyalists, then either betray the rebels or negotiate with them, depending on how the war went.” As she said it, a smile grew from her master, first from his idle pleasure, into something gleeful.

“Poetic irony,” he said, his voice quietly displaying his approval. “I started a war to seize the galaxy, and you would do the same.” He hummed in approval. “I am intrigued. How were you going to gain the loyalty of the military?”

She shrugged, her mind beginning to weave half truths together. “The usual. Bribes, favors, and displays of loyalty. We didn’t expect to sway a majority, but we were hoping to secure the best and brightest. The Rebels would be used as fodder when we needed numbers.” The truth, from a certain point of view.

Sidious cackled. “Using what resources you have. Very good. And the rebels?”

She smirked. “I’m working on a network of informants to help me weave the disparate rebel cells together. It’s not perfect, but I can choose who to keep, and who to feed to the Imperial military so I can pick off any threats.”

The smile never left his face. “Venatrix, you should be careful. If you impress me too much I may die from a heart attack.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to try harder.” She narrowed her eyes, but kept smirking. Sidious couldn’t help himself and started chuckling yet again.

“I look forward to it,” he replied. “How far have you two gotten?”

“Vader has a handful of officers under his sway. As far as my own progress, most of the galaxy is still loyal to you out of war exhaustion, or far too disorganized to pose a threat. Our earliest timetable was ten years, but we were expecting fifteen or twenty.”

He tilted his head in acknowledgement, taking a few steps as he gazed out into the room in contemplation. After a moment of silence, he turned to her. “You initial plan is most impressive, apprentice. Had you made the right calls, it may very well have worked. Alas, that plan will now work to _ our _ benefit.”

She raised a brow. “How?” she asked.

“You will maintain your actions, for now. Continue gathering support for your Rebellion. As you suggested, everyone is either loyal or fearful enough not to make too many waves. Remain quiet, don’t appear too eager. Once the idealistic in the galaxy have had enough of the Empire, they will start to mobilize. From then you will gather them together in one place, and we will wipe them out in one _ glorious _ swoop. With their organization gone, the Rebellion will fall apart before it has begun. The last hope for returning the Republic will be eradicated, and the Empire will last for ten thousand years, as I predicted.”

She nodded softly. “Yes, Master. And Anakin?”

He pressed his lips into a frown. “My former placeholder apprentice needs to be put in his place. As I said, as long as he behaves, you are free to keep him around. He will still have use for the Empire, being a sound strategist and symbol of my will. I will leave it to you to inform him of the new order.” He stepped forward warningly. “I am most serious about my conditions. If he refuses to fall in line, he will die, either by your hand or _ mine _, is that clear?”

She didn’t even blink. “Crystal.”

He looked at her scrutinizingly for a moment. “Very good. Now, you have a task to complete on Mel-Koria. I expect the shipments to resume as soon as possible.”

She bowed, as was expected. “Of course. However, if I may ask something of you?”

Sidious’ brow twitched up slightly. “Very well.”

“You have been holding back. I would like to learn something new as a show of good faith that you’ll keep your word.”

The elder narrowed his eyes for a moment before smirking. “You are eager. Very well. What do you desire?”

“How do I hide this?” she asked, gesturing to her eyes. “And my Force signature.”

“Ah, you wish to maintain a facade of tranquility and light.” He hummed, observing her for a moment. He was irritatingly hard to read, having the skills and age of a 70 year old politician and Sith. She wasn’t even sure if he had been unaware of their plans, and he was simply doing this to gauge her loyalty to Anakin. “Yes, you could make use of this. The chance of encountering those that would recognize the dark side and the threat to them is low, but it only takes one sighting. It could ruin our plans.” He gestured towards the exit of the room. “I planned on waiting until you finished your task, but I suppose you have earned it. Come, let us see if you have a talent for sorcery.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Ahsoka playing Sidious, or the other way around? That shouldn't even be a question.


	21. Keys to the Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't think I'd just leave you all on that cliffhanger, did you?

**Fortress Construction Site, Tatooine**

Anakin stood outside with his arms crossed, observing as the personnel and droids constructed the initial work site for his future fortress. The sun was as bright and the sand was as present as ever, and despite the sealed nature of his suit, he swore that he could feel the blasted planet somehow penetrating the layer of armor to torment him. It was fitting, he supposed. The world knew no restraint when it came to slowly killing its inhabitants. Only those wealthy enough and interested enough to invest in constant climate control lasted any amount of time. As of now, that list included the Hutts, the local government, and Vader himself.

He briefly considered removing Jabba the Hutt from his new world. The slimy slug would likely eventually have a problem with the new order of things.

The personnel were doing their jobs well. After the initial requisition order was sent, the _ Exactor _ arrived in-system with a number of cargo ships. A landing pad and prefabricated garrison were constructed, and from there the cargo ships unloaded their precious goods, which were promptly moved to the numerous warehouses and stockpiles waiting for them. Now, more buildings were being set up for the smooth operation of a large construction project.

He saw- or _ felt, _ rather, the late Momin approaching him from the side. The suit and its mask had its downsides, namely the inability to see with his peripheral vision. At the very least, the Sith spirit had a distinctive presence in the Force that made him easy to track. He turned his head and frowned, already dreading the conversation.

“Yes, Momin, what is it?” he growled. If the spirit was intimidated, he absolutely did not show it as he clapped his hands together eagerly.

“I must say, Vader, your Empire is quite efficient and wealthy. When I presented the materials list, I honestly expected to be told that half of them were too expensive and needed substitution. Imagine my surprise when nearly everything I required arrived on time.”

Anakin raised a brow behind his mask. “What do you mean _ nearly _ everything?”

Momin waved the question off. “Nothing to be concerned about. The purity of obsidian isn’t quite as exceptional as I ordered, but what we have will suffice. This is a process, after all. It would be quite silly to spend so much on the first draft.”

The cyborg was now _ very _ curious. “And what do you mean by that?” he half-demanded.

Momin turned, the mask betraying no emotion whatsoever. Anakin wondered if this was what others felt when he looked at them. It was actually quite unnerving. At least with Ahsoka they had a bond but- yes, if he lacked that, the mirror shine of her helm would betray nothing.

“This undertaking is unprecedented,” he began to explain. “Only my attempt to freeze a city in fear came close to what we are trying to accomplish. There are bound to be setbacks, mistakes, and failures.”

Anakin turned fully. The spirit had _ not _ informed him of this beforehand. “And how long _ exactly _, do you think this will take?”

Momin tapped at the chin of his helm. “Hmm...at least three attempts, most likely. Like science, art goes through many trials before perfection is approached.” There was a silence, or what passed for it, before Momin turned to meet Anakin’s gaze. “Do not worry, Vader. You will see your love again. You need only be patient.”

Patience was not something he was especially good at. “And how long do you expect each _ attempt _ to take?” he asked.

“Hmm,” the spirit mused. “Given the scope of the project, at least a month.”

“A month?!” Anakin exclaimed before looking away in frustration. Momin seemed completely unconcerned, however. Rightfully so, considering that he technically wasn’t alive and had no fear of the Sith’s wrath.

“You cannot rush these things,” Momin said. “Every second necessary is paid gladly. After all, rushing into things is the easiest way to make mistakes, a lesson I am sure you are very familiar with.”

Anakin slowly turned, completely astounded that the spirit had the gall to call him out on his past mistakes. Had it been anyone else, they would have instantly perished for it. Of course, Momin _ couldn’t die _, and was immune. Not from the death of a host body, but rather it was apparent that the spirit was very aware of his value to the living. Even if Anakin ultimately destroyed the helm as punishment, it was apparently worth it for Momin to be able to create his ‘masterpiece.’ He so wanted to cut the spirit down, but knew it was pointless. Moreover, if people saw him execute the man over and over, questions would get asked. While they would ultimately mean nothing, the questions would be distracting.

Instead he turned and stomped off. At the moment there were only two places on the site he could have any measure of privacy to cool off: Padmé’s ship and the dark side cave. Not wanting to risk damaging his wife’s property, he opted to enter the cave. Within, a number of lights had been placed on the rough hewn floor to provide illumination. A clear no crossing zone had been established past a certain point, a safety barrier if nothing else. He couldn’t guarantee nothing would happen if a Force null began poking around the ancient technology. It could drive them insane, kill them, enslave them, or any number of undesirable effects.

He crossed the barrier and approached the device, an ancient star map. Modern technology rendered these largely obsolete, but they still had their uses. Unfortunate that this one was inoperable. It may have useful, of outdated, information. He extended and rested a hand on the old metal, sending a gentle nudge with the Force, requesting access.

No response, as expected. Instead he turned his attention to the Force around it. It was damaged to the point that even someone barely sensitive to it would feel a slight unease. To those not hardened to such kinds of devastation, it might feel like seeing a burned down forest, or the site of an orbital bombardment. It had to be repaired, both due to the careless treatment of its former masters, and for what it could give him. Payment for payment, as it were. Or not. The two of them were still exactly figuring out how they were wielding the Force. It wasn’t the serene requests like a Jedi, not was it the absolute demands of the classical Sith. Ahsoka used the light they only way they knew, like the Jedi, but their connection to the dark was...strange. It was generous and always answered to their calls, almost _ too _ eager to grow close.

He growled silently and felt at the wound once more. The Force regarded him silently, laying passive as it rested. It could heal itself with time, but it could take years or even decades on its own. Seeing as the mystical fabric was generated by life, the nearly barren surface of Tatooine would likely push that timetable to centuries.

Might as well start now.

He sat down, being cautious to not allow any rogue sand into his boots. Carefully and oh so gently, he thought of those he loved, past and present, and reached for the light. The light that he seemed to have redeveloped a relationship with of grudging mutual respect. He felt the warmth that he didn’t deserve radiating against his skin, ready and willing to be used. It was strange now. The Jedi always said that the dark side was the one that offered itself, that it tried to seduce the unwary to its poison. The light seemed no different, offering safety and comfort, at the cost of lethargy and complacency.

After years of the cold dark, the warm light was refreshing. When he used it, that is. He couldn’t hope to go back fully. He had no desire to, and even if he did, he was too far gone. Still, he enjoyed it when he could. Too much implied too many uncomfortable thoughts, and Palpatine would smell the stink of it on him even more than he already did. Before he returned to Coruscant, he would have to be sure to hide his..._ impurity _…as best he could.

The light wrapped around him gently, and he allowed it to build. He felt the constant grief of his matricidal actions dulling slightly, and while he knew he didn’t deserve such reprieve, not until she was alive again, he allowed it. It was necessary, and an action that was a step towards his Angel’s eventual resurrection. It was a side effect, nothing more. So he took the light that he had built around himself, and channeled it directly into the Force, using the lessons of healing that he had reluctantly learned from Offee at Ahsoka’s insistence.

He couldn’t deny that they were useful. Not even he was perfect in his defenses, and blaster shots struck him from time to time. The ability to simply regenerate that damage instead of disassembling himself for a full bacta bath saved time and credits. It was simple coincidence that his chosen locale for a spire happened to be need healing as well. Luck, despite what his old master would have said.

All around him, the Force rumbled in contentment as he focused on mending the fabric of reality. It was encouraging, asking for more of his slow and methodical repairs, and he eagerly obliged. If it would give him what he wanted, he saw no reason why he shouldn’t do this simple task for it.

At the entrance of the cave, a Sith spirit looked at the meditating man, and gently shook its head.

===

**Imperial Palace**

Ahsoka disliked conventional robes. They were hotter and more difficult to move in than her preferred attire. She wouldn’t admit it, but she also was simply rebellious when she was younger. Not wearing the traditional Padawan garb set her apart, and she had a bit of un-Jedi pride in that. She supposed that was one of the reasons why she wasn’t selected by a Master of their own volition.

Regardless, she managed to hide her displeasure at being forced to wear the black, Sith robes that had been provided to her. Mostly, anyway. At least he allowed her to have holes in the hood so the fabric wouldn’t constantly rub at her montrals.

“Why do I have to wear these, again?” she asked as they entered the room. He had made it clear under no uncertain terms that if he caught her here without permission, there would be hell to pay. Immediately she saw why. The chamber was a dark sider’s playground, sporting numerous holocrons, books, and artifacts, all of them reeking of darkness. While the contents of the library had a certain aura about them, everything within this vault was on a whole different level.

“Sorcery is a very complex art, Venatrix,” he said. “In the beginning, every single thing has to be absolutely perfect. Once you gain skill, you can begin to deviate. But not quickly,” he warned, pointing a finger at her. “Reckless experimentation will kill you faster than you can imagine.” She didn’t respond, instead letting her eyes wander over all of the collected treasures. One day they would be hers, and she would plunder what knowledge she could for the strength of her empire.

“Here,” he said, leading her to an ornate table in the center. He took one end, and gestured for her to stand at the other. Behind them, the door to the vault remained open, the darkness from its contents leaking out into the atmosphere. “Tell me what you know of sorcery, Apprentice,” he said.

She quickly recalled the books and texts she had read in the first year of her apprenticeship. Unfortunately they were rather lacking on _ how _ to execute sorcery, or 'magic' in some variants. “The Jedi didn’t really talk about it,” she said. “They only acknowledged that it existed, that it was inherently corrupting like everything else Sith, it was destructive, and an affront to the Force itself.” She shrugged, dismissing their teachings. “The books you gave me weren’t much better. They talked about the powers some of the bigger Sith knew, like disintegrating matter or driving people insane with fear. None of them talked about how they actually did it, though.” She gave him a flat look. “I’m assuming that was by design?”

Sidious grinned. “You know too well. I hope you realize how much I am granting you right now. The dark side is the key to many abilities, but learning how to practice sorcery is knowing which lock to turn. But be careful, Apprentice, of which ones you choose.”

That sounded...different. Ominous. “What do you mean?”

** _Pay attention._ **

He spread his hands in offering. “The regular Force abilities, telekinesis, sensing, bodily enhancement. Even projecting your emotions through lightning and the ability to consume life, all of these are instinctual. Talents. The basics to the Force, simple acts. The teeth and claws of an animal. Powerful, to be certain, but even an apex predator can’t even hope to stand against a high powered blaster.”

She gave him a flat look. “But if the hunter is stupid, they can still be ambushed and killed,” she offered. It was a cultural lesson, one she learned early in her youth before she went on her first great hunt on Shili. People with blasters often think themselves invincible. They forget that it’s not the weapon, but the person wielding it. A flash of red appeared in her peripheral vision, but in an instant, it was gone. She glanced over at the source, and found nothing. Just some books and holocrons.

“But of course,” he said. “Many a Sith have been felled due to their overconfidence. After all, it takes only the single stroke of a lightsaber. Still, just because the simpler methods are effective, you should not discount the complex. After all, before there were hyperdrives and molecular forges, most cultures subsisted on animal drawn carts and simple furnaces. They worked perfectly, but one can not deny that the prior are better.”

She nodded. “Of course.”

Sidious smiled approvingly. “Now then, the basics. Much like science and technology, sorcery is taking reality and shaping it to your will. Metal does not simply become a durasteel bulkhead in nature. You must take it and twist it to your designs through fire and pressure. The Force is no different. Through your will and knowledge, you can invoke change onto reality. Your words, your gestures, they are commands to the Force to assume the shape you want, much like lines of code in a program.”

The elder began muttering under his breath, his words in Sith repetitive and to a moderate beat. His hands moved fluidly and with purpose, and she felt the Force twist and pull around him as he presumably readied a spell. Off to the side, she spied the red light again, this time not disappearing. She was certainly interested in what her master as doing, but she had to look, especially when it moved right next to the old man. It was a hologram of a woman, human most likely, wearing a hooded set of Sith robes. The most unique feature about her were the strange, sharp tattoos above and below her eyes. They reminded her of the First Brother, though on her they appeared...proper. The woman was mostly paying attention to Sidious, though she glanced at Ahsoka. When she did, there was a smile, and a silent wave of greeting, followed by an...air kiss? There was a wink as her master’s voice grew louder, and he naturally applied whatever spell he was using to the only other living thing in the room.

She felt his power slip under and around her defenses as it usually did, and then...nothing. She blinked and stood there, waiting for something to happen. Finally when nothing did, she opened her mouth to speak and- she couldn’t open her mouth. Her pupils shrunk, her eyes otherwise remaining completely placid as Sidious looked at her with a smile.

She _ couldn’t move _. The will was there, but her body refused to obey her. The old man simply chuckled in amusement as she struggled, a prisoner in her own body. To his side, the translucent woman glared at the old man before rolling her eyes, stepping back and watching in idle interest.

“What’s wrong, Apprentice? At a lack of words?” he mocked. The only visible response was the ring of red growing around her golden irises.

===

“What are you doing?”

Anakin’s eyes shot open at hearing the words. In front of and above him was Momin, patiently waiting with his stolen hands behind his back.

“What do you want, Momin?” Anakin growled. His time was interrupted, his enjoyment, stalled. The man deserved his ire.

“I would like to know why a Lord of the Sith is currently immersed in the light,” he said smoothly. Anakin cocked a brow behind his mask. Was he really in that deep? He couldn’t have been. The gentle warmth he felt was barely there, hardly even worth noticing. “When I saw into your memories, I noticed that you and your former apprentice flirted with it, but I never expected to find such sacrilege against the dark side.”

He had already heard enough. He rose, bringing his power to bear upon the spirit’s throat, lifting him into the air. Momin struggled, and then began choking as his airway was cut off. “Allow me to be very _ clear. _The Force requires repair here, and the light is the only way I know to do so. Your engine may eventually be able to do the same with the dark, but for now, I will begin the process as I see fit.”

Momin gurgled for a moment before Anakin allowed him a reprieve. “I-ck...understand. I was...just...trying...gl...to help you.” He was dropped, and began sucking wind as a hand held his throat.

“You are trapped by the old ways,” Anakin said. “The light and dark are two sides to the same Force.” Ahsoka’s words. He wasn’t sure how he entirely felt about that, but they came from his mouth automatically and seemed right. By this point she had been a Sith as long as she had been a Padawan. It was...strange...to consider. “Regardless, power is power. As a Sith I seek it out, no matter the source.’

Momin pulled himself up onto his hands and knees, and began laughing. “The light is weak. Tie yourself down with it, and you will never finish your magnum opus.” He looked up at the sound of a snap-hiss, and didn’t even flinch when red light bathed the area. With a single swipe, Anakin cut a chunk out of the spirit possessed man’s body, and it fell limp.

“We shall see,” he said. With a casual gesture, he tore the helm off the body, and walked outside. He surveyed the personnel for someone easily replaceable, and found a simple laborer. He said nothing as he shoved the cursed helm onto the poor man’s head, nor when he went limp as the spirit took control. Next to the scene, the other workers were just staring on in horror at what was happening, their nonexistent senses telling them subconsciously that something awful was taking place.

Momin jerked awake once again, looking around at his surroundings. “Ah. Where were we?” Anakin simply crossed his arms. “Yes yes, agree to disagree. As long as I get to work on my masterpiece, you can do what you like, my lord.” He waved the man off, and everyone tensed as Momin walked away, apparently snubbing the murderous Darth Vader. There was silence as Anakin watched the spirit walk away without a care in the world. He briefly considered destroying the mask entirely as punishment for such insolence, but he came back to the same problem. Momin was needed.

Anakin’s slight healing of the Force would be nothing compared to what Momin’s engine could presumably accomplish. For all his mechanical skill, Anakin was unfortunately not the best at the mystical aspects of the Force. It was a schematic he could not read, and meant for tools he did not have. He would let Momin have his fun, and when it was all said and done, he would put the annoying spirit out of its misery.

As he turned to return to the cave, movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. His head turned towards the source, finding that, _ once again _, there were Tuskens spying on his camp. He again wished to end their lives, but doing so would require a speed he did not have. Instead he radioed to the garrison commander and ordered him to be on the lookout for the natives, and that any caught near the camp were to be shot on sight.

He stepped back towards the cave, but reconsidered. Momin was telling the truth when he described Anakin as ‘immersed’ in the light. That wouldn’t do. Too much light would be too hard to conceal. Instead he returned to his ship, and his plan in progress for eradicating the slavers from his world.

===

“Raise your hands.” She did. “Spin around.” She had to. “Give me a bow.” She couldn’t stop it. Ahsoka did as she was commanded, immediately and without thought, her brain relaying the commands to her body, while her consciousness watched helplessly. “It is truly amazing isn’t it? How easily the mind can be bent?” She couldn’t answer, but then she could. “You can speak now.” Immediately her face assumed a glare of barely restrained fury.

“Release me,” she growled venomously.

Sidious scoffed. “No, I think not. Remember, Apprentice. I _ own _ you.” She clenched her teeth together as the objects in the room rattled, her power lashing out at anything not nailed down, trying desperately to use them as missiles. He was dampening it though, one way or another, and it only made her want to gut the man even more.

He sighed contentedly, his face shifting as if he was receiving a pleasant massage. “Your hatred is delicious, Venatrix. It is where your true power resides.” He paused, observing her as she wished to stare him to death, red sparks springing to life around her fingers. “Do you want to kill me?”

“I think that’s pretty obvious, _ Master _,” she spat. Behind Sidious, she saw the red holographic woman taking her similarly spectral lightsaber, a long handled one, and activating it right behind the oblivious man’s head. It gave her some amusement and reprieve from her murderous intentions, but she would rather have the real thing.

“Very good,” he said. “Take that hatred, build upon it, cultivate it. I want you meditating on your hatred of me every day.”

“As...you...wish…” she ground out.

He regarded her casually, turning and observing his collection with idle interest. “Go kill Offee.”

Everything in the room jumped into the air an inch before settling back on their resting place, vibrating intensely as she turned to exit. She groaned and grunted as she commanded her body to stay, but it simply would not listen to her. Arcs of crimson power shot out from her hand closest to the man, but they fell far short and simply grounded onto the floor.

“I’ve changed my mind, she lives,” he said, bored. Ahsoka’s legs stopped, but she didn’t stop trying to bring the Force to destroy the man. “Come back.” She did, her furious gaze not leaving the man’s form. “You wish to be taught sorcery, Venatrix. I am simply demonstrating some of its capabilities.” He waved a hand, and she felt her motor control return to herself. It took all of a second before she was channeling her red hatred at the man in a fit of rage. Or she would have, if the blasted power didn’t arc away from him. Instead she grabbed her weapons and lit them, jumping up on the table as he made no move to defend himself. She swung both down, only to find them held back inches from his face. Or rather, she couldn’t bring herself to move her weapons any closer. She grunted and pushed, but only got a headache for her troubles.

With a shout she pulled them back, jumping down off the table and beginning to pace back and forth, snarling at the man like an animal. “What did you _ do _ to me?!” she screeched.

Sidious smiled, his satisfaction almost nauseatingly saccharine. “This was merely a demonstration, Apprentice. I am giving you a taste of the power you seek.”

** _Lies._ ** The translucent woman mouthed the word at the same time the Force whispered it to her.

“You know of mind tricks,” he continued. “Able to suggest to others what you want them to think. I’ve already taught you the power to influence even the strong willed. What I did to you just now was different. I bypassed the suggestion portion and simply began commanding. It is, as when I compared base powers with spells, a complete refinement.” He simply smirked when she simply glared at him in reply. “You think I have wronged you. It is true, but far from what I am capable. If I so wished, I could have simply wiped your memories and rebuilt you from scratch. My perfect apprentice, eager to listen to my every word and _ completely _ loyal.”

The woman nodded in agreement, and Ahsoka stilled. Fear was something she felt rarely these days, but now it ran through her veins like ice water. It had to be a threat, and she took great care of what was being said.

“Now, do you want to be capable of wielding this power?” he asked.

She swallowed, hard, and took a deep breath. She absolutely did, but her mind was mostly focused on what she had just learned. She considered attacking the man and ending the threat to herself early, but knew it would be no good. She was nothing to him. For now. “I...do…” she forced out, trying and failing to keep her voice steady.

He closed his eyes, a pleasured look on his face. “Mmm, very good, Apprentice. Your fear is prominent, your hatred is palpable. You will need these for this lesson. Focus on them, let them grow and burn. Think of nothing else than my destruction, but temper it with the wisdom of knowing that now is not the time.”

“Whatever you say…” she said. She could certainly do that.

“Hnh. Very well. We shall begin.” He gestured, and she felt his presence leave her mind. He pointed for her to return to her side of the table, and she did so. “Spells have three components: the mind, the body, and the spirit. We will begin with the first, the mind. You must know what you want to exist. In this case, it is to appear light and pure to others.” The red woman perked up, cocking an eyebrow and smirking. “The mind also covers with how you are going to call this reality into existence. The sequence of gestures and words you will show the universe in order to command it to bend to your desires.”

The red woman listened and observed, nodding in agreement with the master’s explanation.

“Next is the body. When you cast magic, you will feel drained, like any other Force ability. However unlike telekinesis, if you cast a spell, you must see it through. If you exhaust yourself, you won’t simply pass out and fail. If a command is issued, it _will_ execute. Attempt something too taxing, and you may very well kill yourself. Take sorcery _slow_, apprentice. If you learn of something world altering, I caution you against trying it. Many Sith have ended up withered husks due to overeager spellcasting. If you feel faint, you will _stop_ or you _will_ _die._ Understand?”

Ahsoka nodded, her eyes flicking to her private audience. Just who was this woman? A Sith, obviously, but who? It was easy to see she didn’t want to reveal herself to Sidious. Was she something of the holocrons? Maybe a spirit? The woman, seeming to hear the Togruta’s thoughts, wagged her hand in a way that suggested that Ahsoka was half right.

Sidious hissed. “Do pay attention, Venatrix. If you want to gawk at my treasures, do it on your own time.” Ahsoka frowned, but nodded. “Finally there is the spirit. This is largely your will and desire. You can’t cast something that you don’t want to. However when you do so, you must be absolute in your convictions. You are pushing against the universe, Apprentice. It dislikes change and outside interference. Do not bend or yield, and it will do so first.” He began counting on his fingers. “Knowledge, stamina, will. You need all three to successfully cast spells. Lacking any one of these will at best ensure failure, and at worst ensure your death.”

Ahsoka nodded. “I understand, Master.”

He grunted in approval, and lifted his hands. “You already know what you want. Now comes how you will get it. Observe.” He began shifting his hands through the air in a smooth series of motions and gestures that gave her the impression of grabbing and pulling at the air while wrapping it around oneself. She began to mimic the motions, though much more slowly and deliberate. She supposed it wasn’t a surprise, considering the man spent over ten years interacting directly with the Jedi Council, and they didn’t suspect a thing.

“Very good,” he said. “What you are doing is drawing in the ambient light around you and turning it into a shield, a shell, a cloak. You wear it like you would a shroud, hiding your true nature. Now repeat after me.” He began chanting in Sith, and her heart immediately dropped. Her pronunciation was no better now than it was two hours ago. She had to persevere, she supposed, and began echoing him as best as she could. The phrases repeated over and over did not translate well to Basic, but was basically a command to the Force to hide themselves, to gain advantage over their hated enemy. The ghostly woman frowned slightly at Ahsoka’s mistakes, but appeared interested. Very interested.

“Continue, Venatrix,” Sidious said, stopping himself. He observed her over the next several minutes, advising her on slight adjustments of her motions and accent. When finally satisfied he nodded. “Very good. You have the gestures and words, close enough to work. Now draw upon the Force and make it reality.”

She closed her eyes, hiding her red rimmed irises as she focused. She imagined the motion of her hands pulling at what remained of the Jedi’s light in the temple, and she imagined taking it and wrapping it around herself. A fog of obfuscation that would make any kind of lightsider see what they wanted to see: an ally. The light came to her easily and without effort, eager to assist its friend. It wrapped around her exactly as she wished, turning into a second skin of sorts. She felt its warmth press against her, and soon enough it settled like a set of familiar clothes.

When she opened her eyes, they were their normal bright blue, free of any signs of darkness.

Sidious raised an impressed brow, and she caught a hungry glint in his eyes. Typical. He wanted her power, and would probably teach her more in order to destroy his enemies. If that’s what he wanted, then fine. Off to the side, the translucent woman clapped silently before she gave Ahsoka two thumbs up and an eager smile. She impressed a spirit. If that was good or bad, she did not know.

“You have taken the first step into a larger view of the Force,” he said. “In time, I will teach you more. However, I believe that satisfies your demands for now, yes?”

She slowly cut her hand through the air, silently commanding the Force to twist at her whim. It was different from what she was used to, where the Force simply arrived and filled existing physical abilities or simple powers. The ability to run quickly and lift an object could be accomplished by anyone. The Force simply allowed one to increase their speed or do so without touching it physically. This was different. One cannot simply change the color of their eyes unless they learn how to manufacture color contacts or alter genetics. Science, as Sidious had suggested. Science let people create wonders, cure disease, provide to others, and subjugate worlds. That power was now hers, distilled into a single individual. She only needed to learn how to wield it correctly. “Yeah. It’ll do. For now.” Idiot. She locked eyes with her teacher, who simply smirked in amusement.

“You’ll get your next lesson when I deem you ready. For now, practice what you know. The false light side aura will not stand up if you draw upon the dark side. If you find yourself in a nest of Jedi, I suggest you keep quiet in the Force, let you get yourself killed. Now, you have a task to complete. I want Mel-Koria, apprentice. As soon as possible. Find the problem and eliminate it. No hesitation.”

She bowed, as expected of an apprentice. “No hesitation. As you say, Master.”

===

The plan had to be perfect in order to ensure minimal casualties. Full spectrum jamming will be employed to disable all communications in the cities, along with any and all remote detonation devices. There is the possibility that losing a signal will trigger explosives, but Anakin knew better. On Tatooine, communications brownouts were common. Slaveowners wouldn’t want a malfunction to cost them a healthy worker. No, the signals here worked on a simple concept. If the slave strayed too far from a designated location, usually the city they lived in, it would send the detonation signal. Complete loss of communication was treated as a non-issue. The slaves wouldn’t know they could run, and those that knew how to take advantage of this were few and far between.

Once the bound are not guaranteed to be killed once the masters knew what was happening, simultaneous invasions would commence. They will seize control of the cities with minimal collateral and declare martial law in the name of the Empire. Everyone will be ordered to return to their homes for the duration. Those that try to run will be arrested or shot, depending on if they can be caught. Without communications, no one will know what is happening until it is too late, and thus, no resistance will be organized. There are bound to be some gangs with standing orders, but they will be put down.

From there, Imperial forces will increase their presence within the slave quarters of each city, take a census including the names of the masters, and then escort all to the prefabricated medical centers that will be dropped near the cities. It will be there that those chained to the will of another will be freed forever. During this, troopers will round up all who support slavery in a number of mass arrests, bring them to the town centers, and hold a number of public executions. It will send a clear signal: Lord Vader has come to Tatooine, and he will not tolerate the despicable practice on_ his _ planet.

Just prior to all of this happening, he and Ahsoka will enter Jabba the Hutt’s palace under some pretense or another. Once they are within his sanctum, they will slaughter the slug and all who support him. It will be a simple task for two Sith Lords, and should pose little challenge.

Once the initial moves are completed, the slaves are freed, and the masters have been dealt with, he will install a governor to oversee and spread his will on the planet. He knew that the status quo would largely be unchanged. Prosperity won’t magically come to the world simply because slavery will be abolished. He could certainly make day to day life less miserable, however. Law will come to the world, and with it, a sense of peace. No more will a person travelling at night have to look behind them for a mugger. No more will someone have to avoid certain parts of cities in order to avoid getting caught up in the gang wars.

The Tusken Raiders were too numerous and tricky to successfully wipe out. Despite his desire to do so, Anakin knew that cleansing the world of their disease was impossible. Once the Empire establishes law and security, they will learn to stay away, and that was good enough.

Wealth would largely be the same. The rock of a planet had no resources to speak of, after all. He would allow the podraces to exist, and the gambling didn’t bother him at all. Anakin didn’t see himself as a tourism magnate, but he saw little alternative of an economy for his world. It would have to do in the short term. Perhaps he could hire prospectors to search for mineral deposits.

Now he simply needed to requisition the troops and materiel for the operations. That could wait. First he needed his partner and friend at his side. He stood up from his Angel’s throne and walked to the ship’s holoterminal, quickly dialing Ahsoka. It took a few minutes to connect, as expected. When the call finally went through, he spotted her seated in some oddly orthodox robes. He crossed his arms and tilted his head, his way of communicating intrigue. Meanwhile, he extended two fingers, silently communicating that he could speak freely as Anakin.

_ “It’s good to see you, Skyguy,” _ she said before smirking. _ “How’s Tatooine? You burn it to glass yet?” _

“I’ve been able to hold myself from it so far,” he said. “Even if I did, it would be stupid of me to do so.”

_ “Oh?” _

“There is a dark side locus here. I intend to use it to resurrect her.” He silently waited for her response, watching the gears turn in her head.

_ “Her being... _ her_?” _ Ahsoka asked carefully. Anakin simply nodded. _ “Mmm…” _ she fidgeted with a lek for a moment before nodding. _ “Is there any way I can help?” _

He smiled underneath the mask, always able to count on her. “For now, no. I have assistance in the matter.”

She pulled her head back in surprise. _ “Assistance?” _

“Yes,” he said. “The mask of Momin was granted to me by our master. It houses the dead Sith’s spirit that once wore it. He is...very eager.”

_ “Can he be trusted?” _ she asked flatly.

“I don’t,” he said. “However I don’t sense any lies. He truly desires to help me, though I suspect it is to his own ends.” He sighed and shrugged lightly. “He’s a lunatic, obsessed with art and his creations. Still, he seems to know what he is doing.” He was still uncertain, and it showed.

She pressed her lips together, clearly not convinced. _ “I’d keep an eye on him.” _

“I intend to do so,” he reassured. “Your mission to Alderaan, how was it?” It was, after all, the first mission for the Empire she undertook alone since her turn.

_ “Alderaan’s a pacifist planet. When I found nothing, I wasn’t surprised. They’ll have to fall in line, though.” _ Her voice was dismissive, almost bored, and her report was as expected. Good. _ “Had to kill my Captain, though. He was spying on me.” _ Anakin rolled his eyes, hard. Did their master truly believe they wouldn’t notice? No matter.

“Shocking,” he said, his normally inflectionless voice somehow becoming flatter. “Do you know when you will be free? I need your help.”

_ “I thought you said you had the Spirit to help you?” _

“This is different,” he said, standing taller. “I intend to cleanse my world of slavery.” Her eyes went wide for a moment, before settling into understanding. She had seen his behavior during the mission to Krios years prior, and knew his hatred of the practice well. “I would like you to be at my side as I deal with this world’s leadership.”

_ “Of course I’ll help,” _ she said immediately and brightly. _ “When I can, I mean. Our Emperor is sending me to Mel-Koria. Apparently some critical shipments have stopped. Maybe after that.” _

“Good enough,” he said. “I will need time to gather the resources and plan the details of the operation.” He paused. “You’ve changed,” he said, gesturing to her getup.

Her lekku darkened slightly in embarrassment. _ “Oh uh, yeah.” _She paused, hesitant almost. Unlike her.

“What is wrong?” he asked.

She looked away, then back to him. _ “He cornered me. I had to tell him our plan.” _ Immediately, everything within the room he was in rattled and threatened to implode. He had to reign himself in to keep it from happening, and he succeeded, but only just barely. Of course the snake would wait until she was alone to pry the knowledge from her. When they were separated and she was vulnerable. He shouldn’t have left her side. It’s been barely a week and he’s already moving against them. Too soon, far too soon. The damage had been done, however. There was no sense in thrashing about.

“Are you alright?” he asked first.

She nodded, and smiled. _ “Yeah. I salvaged it as best I could. He doesn’t know the details. Just what the general plan was. I was able to turn it to my advantage, though. He trusts me now.” _ She hesitated, biting a lip. _ “Or at least he distrusts me a little less. He’s teaching me sorcery now since I’m his ‘one true apprentice’ or whatever.” _ She lifted an arm, showing off the robes. _ “Apparently I need to follow some special rules or something for sorcery. It wasn’t that hard. Anyway, I need you to cool it on our plan for now. If you or Barriss rock the ship too much, he’ll order me to kill you two.” _

Anakin growled. Two years of work, wasted. Still, he supposed it was better to happen now rather than later, ten or fifteen years down the line. “I will do so. We can figure out a new plan later.”

_ “I’m not really sure our original one is over,” _ she said. _ “Technically I’m supposed to gather the rebels and prime them for a slaughter.” _ She huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose. _ “I think we just need to assume he knows about everything we do at this point, and plan around it. We can still do what we were doing but…” _ She shook her head. _ “Let’s worry about that later.” _ She looked off to the side. _ “I’m almost back at the Inquisitorius Headquarters.” _ She froze. _ “Oh, right. First and Second made their move. Barriss killed them, but she got stabbed. She’s stable, but I’m gonna see her before I head off world.” _

“Is everything going to happen when I am not around?” he asked.

_ “If Palpatine has any say about it, probably. I got to go, Anakin. I’ll send you the details on both incidents when I can. Have fun building your castle.” _ She smiled, and cut the connection, leaving Anakin to stand there and fume at their misfortune.

===

Ahsoka couldn’t move fast enough through the corridors. As soon as she had gotten away from Sidious, she was reminded of Barriss’ near lethal injury. Power was all good and well, but she cursed herself for letting it get in the way of what truly mattered in life. Once she entered the med bay, she let out a breath of relief. Barriss was still alive, unsurprisingly, but part of her still couldn’t help but worry. Standing by at the door like a bouncer was the Ninth Sister, her gaze vigilant and steady.

“My lady,” the Dowutin said, and stepped to the side to let Ahsoka in. Immediately she did so, her face twitching at the sight of her friend, hurt...but alive.

“Thank you, now leave us,” she gently commanded. The large woman glanced at the two before nodding and stepping outside, closing the door. Ahsoka locked it for good measure and walked over to Barriss, who was sitting up against some pillows with a datapad. Their eyes met, and for some reason, Ahsoka could only stare. Those shiny, beautiful, golden irises glinted in the light, and she found her stomach feeling strange. It twisted upon itself, threatening to do...something. It was familiar, but she couldn’t remember what caused it.

“Are...you just going to stare at me, Ahsoka?” Barriss asked, completely bewildered. The Togruta said nothing, just softly watching quietly. Something welled within her, terrified and relieved, hopeful and dreadful. She felt her pulse quicken as scenarios passed through her mind, all of them resulting in the death of her friend. How had she not considered that yet? She had simply assumed that Barriss would succeed, that her and Anakin’s training was flawless. Now, with reality staring at her in the face?

She wasn’t there, and her friend had almost died. A wave of nausea pulsed through her, and she had to take a deep breath not to succumb to it.

“Ahs-” She was interrupted as Ahsoka shot forward, wrapping her arms around the Mirialan and squeezing tightly. Barriss yelped quietly at the sudden action, followed by a dull groan as the pain of her wound rose. Slowly and carefully, she returned the favor, uncertain but encouraged.

“Oh! This...this is nice,” Barriss whispered. The hug was strangely helpful, pushing the pain away and favor of a dull fuzziness. It was a bit odd, now that she thought about it. Hugs were...she couldn’t remember the last time that happened. “I um, are you alright? Palpatine-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ahsoka said instantly, and just kept holding her. Finally she let go and stepped back, keeping her eyes averted. She cleared her throat awkwardly and finally made eye contact. “Are you...okay?”

Barriss cracked a smile and pushed her covers down before lifting up her medical gown, showing the bandages wrapped around her abdomen. “I’ll be fine. I’m missing a chunk of my liver but...I’ll live.” She huffed a laugh, and it hurt, but it didn’t matter. The fight was exhilarating, and just knowing that her friend was there made her feel better. “I’m more worried about you, Palpatine brought you to the floor.”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Ahsoka said, pulling back her sleeves. “See? He fixed it. He was actually kind of impressed, but-” She let out a frustrated sigh. “Look, he knows about our plans.”

Barriss tensed, shifting about in the bed. “Well...shouldn’t we do something or...why didn’t _ he _ do anything about it?”

“Sith power dynamics are...weird, Barriss. He was actually pleased that we were doing this, but it has to stop. At least for now. I cut a deal with him. I actually follow his commands, and in return you two have protection as my...er...well, he called you my pets, but I would never...” She smiled awkwardly, hoping that her friend understood. Unfortunately the Mirialan frowned at the term, and looked away in irritation.

“I see. So all that work was for nothing?” she asked coolly.

“Well, not really?” Ahsoka offered. “We’ll just have to see. For now, take control of the Inquisitorius, but only after you’re better. And, don’t rock the boat too much. If you or Vader are too…” She mumbled gibberish, not willing to continue comparing them to animals. “Just, don’t draw his ire? Fall in line for a bit while we regroup.”

Barriss scowled at the situation. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected him to just sit around and let us kill him. Fine. Are…are you going to be staying on Coruscant for awhile?” Her expression was more than a little hopeful.

Ahsoka frowned and shook her head. “No. I’m the attack dog while Vader’s away. I gotta go get some shipments back on track. From there…” She shrugged. “Who knows, but Vader’s also got a personal project going on that you might be interested in.” She looked around, knowing that they were being watched. “I’ll tell you about it later,” she finished, glancing up at the corners.

Barriss understood very well, and quietly nodded. “Right, right. I’ll um, I guess I’ll just stay here until I’m good to go. Should be no more than a few weeks.”

“Do you need any help getting started here?” Ahsoka asked.

“No!” Barriss blurted out. “I mean, I’ve had a plan for a while. I’ll stick to it. I’ll just have to recover a bit before I begin.” She gave a smile that she hoped was reassuring, but Ahsoka wasn’t buying it.

“Right,” Ahsoka said quietly. Silence took over the room as both of them awkwardly just looked around. “Right um, okay. I’ll just...I’ll be back when I can, alright?” She put a hand on Barriss’ before she realized what had happened. She quickly walked to the door, and looked back. Both of the girls gave each other awkward smiles before Ahsoka departed.

_ “What just happened?!” _ They thought to themselves.

Ahsoka was silent during the trip back to her ship, mostly ignoring everything and everyone aside from what was necessary. When she disembarked from the shuttle, she sighed at the unnecessary reception. The newly promoted Captain...someone, she couldn’t remember his name, was there with an honor guard. He bowed stiffly.

“Milady. The _ Basilisk _is at the ready,” he said.

“Very good, Captain,” she said, summoning the strength to at least _ appear _ professional. “Set course for Mel-Koria. Have me alerted when we are on approach. I’ll be in my quarters.”

“Yes, Lady Tano,” he replied, giving her yet another bow before walking off. She did as she advised, leaving for her private chambers. Upon entry she didn’t feel the observation that came with being spied on, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she flopped onto a couch. She felt exhausted, not a surprise considering in the past few hours she was electrocuted, subjected to her master’s influence, learned a new way of using the Force, and had to withhold some truths from people she cared greatly about.

A nap was definitely in order.

She dimmed the lights with a wave of her hand, laid on her side and-

Something sharp pressed into her side. Something she had just lied on. She didn’t remember putting something there. Carefully she reached into the offending pocket, and felt something hard and angular, roughly the size of her fist. She pulled it out, and discovered that somehow, a Sith holocron had somehow made its way into her robes. Naturally, this was cause for alarm, as she didn’t remember stealing one from her master’s vault. She considered putting it aside until later. It was just a holocron after all. It could wait.

…

Or she could check it now. With an eager grin she wrapped it in the dark side, commanding it to open. The pointed ends of the pyramidal device twisted and came off, hovering slightly away from the main structure. The crystal within glowed red, and seconds later began projecting an image. An image of a familiar looking woman was now lying idly on Ahsoka’s coffee table. The same woman that appeared to her in Sidious’ vault.

“Uh, hello?” Ahsoka asked.

The woman perked up and immediately rose to sit, leaning forward with an eager smile. “Hello!” she said cheerfully. Her accent was Mid Rim, but her attire definitely didn’t match, showing full-on Sith style and regalia.

“I’m Darth Zannah, and you’re my new favorite person.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're right. I'd leave you on something much, much worse.
> 
> As I said in a note a few weeks ago, this is the end of the current chunk of chapters. Sorry for leaving on such a cliffhanger, but it is what it is. The story is now on hiatus. Recent events in my life have conspired to push my stress levels near my limit, and I'm incapable of continuing for the foreseeable future.
> 
> If I haven't updated this story within a year, anyone who wishes has my permission to directly build off my work.
> 
> I apologize for leaving the lot of you wanting for awhile. The comments and kudos I got really helped motivate me. If I do not return to this work, I thank you for your attention, and wish you well.


End file.
